Freddie Goes To Hollywood
by PD31
Summary: What happens when Freddie gets accepted into college in LA while the girls are staying in Seattle? Some friendships fall and some friends become reacquainted.
1. iGet In

**AN : This story starts immediately after iStill Psycho and assumes that the iCarly gang are in their Senior year.**

**Disclaimer : Don't own the shows or the characters. Unless I invent some new ones later on in the story.**

* * *

><p>It was one of the great moments of my life, when the BIG envelope from UCLA arrived – I was in! Mom was surprisingly calm about it, she finally realises that "all little boys have to grow up in the end". I was still annoyed about what had happened when we were at Nora's party, so instead of telling Carly and Sam the news, which would usually have been my first act for something as major as this, I immediately thought of somebody else – Tori.<p>

We had met at the party where we'd caught out hers and Carly's mutual boyfriend. She was a huge fan of iCarly and we'd all become quite close that night, trading e-mail addresses and we'd kept in touch since. She happened to be online at the time so I requested a video chat.

"Hey Tori"

"Freddie! Hi, how are you?"

"Really good thanks. In fact, I might be seeing you soon – I got into UCLA, I start in the fall!"

"Oh wow Freddie, that's so awesome!"

"Thanks. So, do you know anyone down there, y'know – a friendly face who might want to show me around LA when I get there?" I flashed what is probably my goofiest smile at her but never mind.

She smiled back. "I'm sure I can find someone…" then we both giggled.

We chatted a bit longer before she broached the elephant in the room and asked what Carly and Sam thought about it. I had to admit that I hadn't told them.

"Things are… awkward since Sam and I split" I explained. "At first it was great but recently neither she nor Carly have been that nice to me"

"Oh, well that's not good. But you guys have been friends for years – you'll figure it out"

"We'll see" was all I could say.

* * *

><p>The next couple of days I didn't hang out at Carly's after school – I wasn't seeing much of the girls in school and I didn't really want to talk to them about college. I wanted to carry on feeling happy and excited about going there – so I spent my evenings focussing on finals, preparing what I wanted, and needed, to take with me, and chatting to Tori.<p>

But by Friday (with iCarly that night) I figured I couldn't put it off any longer so when I saw the girls at lunch I told them I was heading to college in LA. They didn't take it well. It turns out that the girls are both staying in Seattle for college and they thought that I was as well. Carly looked disappointed at my news while Sam ranted, raved and threatened to hit me until Mr. Howard intervened and threatened her with a month of detention if she didn't calm down.

I spoke to Tori before heading over to do iCarly and she offered to be on Blabcam and talk to them.

Walking into Carly's apartment I was immediately confronted by the two girls. They started yelling about how I was "breaking up the team", "leaving them behind" and how they thought that they mattered to me. They were trying to lay the guilt on real thick.

"Look!" I said, quieting them, "things change and life goes on. I've applied to UCLA and I've got in. This is a good thing for me and I'm doing it. I'm not going to be the punching bag for you two anymore, so deal with it" and with that I walked up to the studio leaving them downstairs. I could feel their glares on me as I climbed the stairs.

* * *

><p>The show was going ok, Sam was surlier than usual and Carly was trying to force her voice into its usual sweet, sugary tone – then we came to Blabcam and I introduced "an old friend of ours, Tori from LA". Sam visibly stiffened and Carly's voice was at its most syrupy as she greeted her.<p>

Tori went on to say how much she loved the show and how great the news was that I had this awesome opportunity at UCLA. Sam grew even stiffer at that, if it was possible, and Tori promised that she's take care of "their little tech boy", at which point Sam stormed out, slamming the studio door behind her. Carly, Tori and I exchanged glances before Carly asked me if we could take a quick break and put up a picture of a green-haired girl eating bugs, while promising Tori we'd get back to her soon.

As the picture went up, Carly rounded on me.

"What the hell, Freddie?" she asked angrily. "Why are you doing this? And what did you mean you won't be 'our' little punching bag?" – air-quoting 'our' to show her disagreement.

"Remember Nora's 2nd party?" She nodded slowly. "I meant what I said. I thought YOU cared about me so I wanted you to deactivate the chip."

"I do – " she started, but I cut her off.

"I thought you'd be gentle, caring, considerate. Instead you just zap me in the head – WITHOUT WARNING. Then Sam does the same, because that's who she is. And when Nora jumped me? I thought you'd try to help me, but no – the cake meant more to you two than I did!"

Carly tried to speak but I cut her off again.

"When YOU broke Sam and I up," I was beyond caring if I upset her now, "things were ok. We were civil – dare I say it but it was like the friendship that you and I have always had – now Sam's back to what she was like before: a bully. And I've had enough."

"So that's why you're leaving us?"

"No, I'm leaving because it's a great course at an awesome university. And the fact that neither of you could be happy for me – and all you can think is 'what about us' shows me that I'm not going to miss as many people as I thought once I've gone."

Carly glared at me before turning on her heel and walking to the door muttering "I'm going to find Sam and see if she's ok"

I put the camera back on, said goodbye to Tori, made some stuff up to sign off the show then began taking apart my tech stuff. I pushed the tech cart to the elevator and went down to the main floor of the apartment. Nobody was there, presumably the girls were in Carly's room, so nobody stopped Freddie Benson, tech producer, from leaving the apartment for what I expected to be the last time.


	2. iLeave It All Behind

I threw myself into my school work, finals and plans for graduation. iCarly hadn't lasted much longer. Brad took over as tech producer but it wasn't the same without my effects, without my cameras – dare I say it, without me? I did offer Brad use of my kit but he told me that the girls had said that under no circumstances would it be accepted.

It was difficult living across the hall from Carly. While Sam was treating me as if I was see-through (which in many ways was an improvement), the look of pain and hurt in Carly's eyes every time I saw her, anywhere, was difficult to take. She quickly got the "look hurt then walk off" routine down to perfection but this time I was refusing to make the first move, reminding myself that she was the one who treated me badly, that she was the one who stood by while a psycho girl jumped me, and that she was the one who had rejected me time and time again.

* * *

><p>Finally Graduation Day came and tomorrow I was going to LA to start my new life. Apart from my mom there was nothing left for me in Seattle and Tori had told me that one of her friends had said I could stay with him for the summer before I got access to my campus accommodation. We stood in line to receive our certificates. It felt awkward, all day I'd been so close to the girls who'd been my best friends for so long, and we stood not looking at each other, not speaking to each other. I hated it.<p>

After the ceremony I was stood with my mom while Sam and Carly were laughing and joking with Spencer and Brad. Brad, who had nothing against me, came over and we talked and wished each other well. I looked over to Carly's group again and saw her looking at me. For a moment I didn't see hurt or anger, she looked… wistful. I gave her a small wave and she returned it, smiling slightly at me – the first time I had seen her smile in months. Sam and Spencer looked to see who she was waving at and I saw her say something to them before she began walking towards me. I met her half-way and she just said,

"Do you want a photograph? For old times' sake?"

"I'd like that" I replied and called my mom over. I stood next to Carly, looked towards her and smiled. She smiled back and I slipped my arm around her waist, she did the same and we posed for a photo for my mom. Then Spencer walked next to my mom and took a picture of us as well. Sam appeared on my other side and said,

"My turn, dork," before putting her own arm around my middle. Carly smiled and let go of me and mom took a photo of me with Sam before Carly came back and the three of us posed together. Suddenly it felt almost as if the last few months hadn't happened. Brad joined the group photo, as did my mom and Spencer (a random parent taking that picture).

People were starting to leave and Carly glanced at Spencer, and at Sam. They both gave a small nod and she turned to mom and me and invited us to a little party they were having at theirs. We accepted and spent a great evening in the company of old friends, talking about nothing and just enjoying the outbreak of civility.

Finally it was time to leave – mom and I had a long drive ahead of us the next day (thankfully she was letting me drive down there – I shudder to think how long it will take her to do the return journey with the empty van). I said goodbye to Spencer and Brad before turning to Carly, who was stood in the kitchen – I think she wanted to speak to me privately.

"Thank you," I began. "After everything that's happened it was a wonderful gesture from you – the photos, the invite."

"I didn't want us to part on such awful terms" she said. "We've been through so much, we were best friends for so long. It was awful to be so distant from you. Freddie…" and she took a step closer, looking me straight in the eye and taking a deep breath, "I'm sorry. Sorry for how I treated you… at Nora's, sorry for what's happened since then, for blaming you for everything, for not talking to you. I was angry and hurt, and it was easier to blame you for all of it than to blame myself for any of it. And," her voice softened to a whisper, "I'm sorry that I could never return your love. You're such a great guy Freddie Benson, a great, caring guy who'd do anything for anyone. I really wish I could have loved you the way you loved me all those years – but I just couldn't. You deserve someone worthy of your love, and she's out there somewhere. Go get her!" and we hugged tight for a few seconds before stepping apart.

I turned to see Sam stood nearby.

"You got anything to say to Mama?" she asked, her voice full of bravado as usual, but the hint of a nervous smile on her lips.

"Not here" I said, grabbing her wrist and leading her out of Carly's. I didn't take her to my apartment, but down the hall to the fire escape – 'our' fire escape.

"I really wanted it to work between us" I began. "I told you I loved you and I meant it, but after that… things were great between us for a while, then suddenly you went back to the way you were before – and that hurt, because I really thought we'd moved on from there."

"It's who I am Freddie" she said simply. "You knew that and you dated me regardless. And you didn't make it easy for me either. 'At least Carly cares about me'? Meaning I don't? Damn it Fredward, I told you I LOVED you! Do you know what that took? How long it took me to say that to my own MOTHER? You are the only guy I've ever said that to, you were my first kiss, my first serious boyfriend – and you tell me to my face that you think I don't care? Do you have any idea how much that hurt? And our conversation by the elevator? That we'd maybe try again some day? I knew I couldn't BE your definition of normal – and then to find out you were leaving, well I knew then that it was over for good between us. And I began to hurt all over again."

Wow, who knew Sam Puckett could make a speech like that? Or even THINK that?

"I'm sorry, Sam. I guess I never realised you were carrying that around with you. I just figured when you reverted to type that it meant 'those feelings' had gone for you – which caused me as much pain as your behaviour did."

"It's ok" she shrugged. "I keep this things buried deeper than most people look. Anyways, I'm gonna say goodnight. We'll be there in the morning to see you off."

"You're staying over at Carly's?"

"You even need to ask that question?" she laughed before leaning in and giving me a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Night, dork. I'll see you in the morning" and went inside.

That was Sam. Unpredictable to the last.

The next morning we loaded up the van. As we were preparing to leave I saw Carly, Sam and Spencer stood by the entrance to the building. I walked over for a final goodbye, giving Spencer a quick man-hug before pulling Carly close and giving her a peck on the cheek while I said goodbye. I did the same to Sam before releasing her, smiling at the two girls and saying goodbye. There was a lot unsaid, I didn't have my two best friends back, but things were better – I was leaving on far better terms than I thought possible a few days ago. I walked to the van, waved to my friends, started the engine and drove off to begin my new life.


	3. Here I Am, Once Again

Urgh, my mom drives me insane. If I didn't love her, and if I didn't need her to drive the van back to Seattle, I'd have kicked her out of the van before we got to Oregon.

"Slow down, Freddie. Careful, Freddie. Watch that truck (which happens to be half a mile away) Freddie." Arrgh.

But eventually we reached LA. Tori had given me the address of Beck's parents. I think it's weird that I'll be living in their house while their son lives in an RV in their driveway but, as I explained to his folks over dinner, having lived with the queen of crazy for all these years, their rules won't be a problem.

It was a nice reunion – Tori was there when we arrived and pulled me into a big hug. Cat did likewise and I shook hands with Beck before it turned into a man-hug, the same happened with André. When I turned to Jade, however, and opened my arms she simply folded hers over her chest and observed

"I have Mace. I will use it" before relenting with a small smile and a quick hug.

At least I know who to talk to if I'm ever missing Sam.

Mom stayed over and we said a teary goodbye (she shed more tears than I did) the following morning, shortly before Tori arrived again to show me some of the sights of my new home town. After we'd left the Central Library we were headed for Grand Central Market when we found ourselves in the middle of a bit of a crowd of people close to a crossing, which was on "walk" but with the timer fast expiring so I quickly grabbed her hand and we briskly crossed the street. Half a block later I realised that neither of us had let go. I slackened my grip slightly, though without letting go, so that if she wanted to she could – she didn't and we continued to walk and talk. After leaving the market she took my hand again. I smiled at her, she smiled back. Without speaking we'd moved beyond 'just friends' and it felt great.

Neither of us were in the mood, or dressed, for a fancy restaurant so we picked up a burger on the way back to Tori's (I'd told the Olivers that I'd not be back until after dinner). I said goodnight and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek then headed back to my new home.

Tori continued to show me the sights of the city, Santa Monica, Venice Beach, Hollywood itself over the next few days and I was enjoying every minute that I spent with her. Sometimes Cat would tag along but it was mostly just the two of us. We already knew each other fairly well from our video chats but talked more and more about our pasts and backgrounds. Saturday night saw us finally having what I guess could count as a proper "date", we went to Wok Star and shared an excellent Chinese meal. This time when I dropped her off at her house I decided to lean in to kiss her on the lips. Thankfully she leaned in as well and we shared a very sweet first kiss together before I said goodnight.

* * *

><p>The rest of the summer passed quickly. Tori and I hung out a lot with her friends, I spoke to mom most evenings but the best times were when Tori and I were by ourselves. Our relationship was progressing slowly but surely, although we spent as little time as possible at her place – partly because whenever Trina was there she would hit on me right in front of her sister every chance she got, but mostly because Tori was afraid that if her dad walked in on us making out then he'd set half of his buddies from LAPD on me – and I wasn't brave enough to see if she was kidding or not. But we were having fun, seeing movies and enjoying every bit of time we had together before classes started for us both. Tori would have big productions, lines and songs to learn and I had no idea how busy my Freshman year was going to be, or what the social side of college life would be like – but I was determined to find out. While Tori and her friends were great, she was the first to say that I needed my own circle of friends at college as well, particularly if she was busy with her rehearsals and performances.<p>

Carly and I had called each other a few times over the summer and talked about how our holidays were going. She sounded genuinely happy for Tori and me. Sam, however, I hadn't heard from at all – Carly hinted that she was rather less happy about Tori and me as a couple.

Finally the day came for me to move into my UCLA accommodation. I thanked Mr and Mrs Oliver for their kind hospitality over the summer, promised them that I wouldn't be a stranger then Beck and I loaded up his RV with my stuff and headed for campus.


	4. The Nub Who Killed iCarly

We arrived on campus and Beck and André helped me to move my stuff into my dorm. I was the first to arrive so I had a little time to get my room and the communal area looking the way I wanted it to. I thanked the guys and they left while I went to register and to do all the admin stuff that was needed. While there I got talking to a couple of people in the lines and, once we were done with all the official stuff, we went as a small group to explore some of the campus and get ourselves orientated.

By the time I returned to my dorm, my roommate had arrived, his name was Tom, a Bostonian who was pre-med. He had been his High School's Quarterback but wasn't interested (or by his own admission good enough) to seriously pursue a sporting career, though he did say he'd love to continue playing for fun if the opportunity arose. He told me I looked familiar (I expected it – iCarly had been hugely popular – but it was in the past, and I wanted to keep it that way, I decided I'd confirm that I was Freddie from iCarly but I wouldn't volunteer the information). The other guys in our dorm showed up and we spent a pleasant, quiet evening just getting to know one another a little, talking about our home towns, majors, interests, expectations of college life, stuff like that.

The next day was the first day of classes and for me it turned out to be an absolute DISASTER. I walked into my first class fairly early and took a seat in the middle of the room. A small group walked in shortly after and one of them looked at me.

"No way, Freddie Benson!" he said, though he looked rather displeased to see me.

"Seriously?" said another. "The nub who killed iCarly is HERE?" shooting me a look of pure hate.

By this time a few more people were arriving, all looking in my direction, disdain etched on every face. There was a rush to sit as far from me as possible and nobody said another to word to me all day, not even my partner when we were assigned one along with a project – all I got from him was a look of disgust when he Professor refused his request for a different partner.

At the end of the day I trudged back to my room, switched on my laptop and, for the first time in months, went to . In the middle of the screen, pride of place, was a video of Carly and Sam, dated February 5th, the day after the last live show. I clicked on it and sat through what can only be described as a total character assassination. The two girls were merciless in their criticism of me and of everything about me. All the while Sam held two blown-up photographs of me, one aged about 13, the other from about the time the video was made. In both of them, in huge red letters, she had written the word "nub" over my forehead. The girls' rant ended with Carly saying

"That's Freddie Benson"

"The nub who killed iCarly" Sam added.

"That's Freddie Benson"

"The nub who killed iCarly", over and over for at least two minutes. My hopes of a fresh start, of starting over, had gone. I was still haunted by my past.

Tom walked in at that moment and saw the look on my face. He asked what was up and I told him about the whole thing. The penny dropped from him, he HAD recognised me from iCarly, but he listened to, and accepted, my side of the story and he told me that my classmates would come round in time. I thanked him for his support, but I'm not sure that I actually believed him. He told me of a start-of-term party that one of his classmates was throwing that night and asked if I wanted to go along, meet a few more people. I figured I may as well.

We had a couple of hours before it started so I looked on iChat. Tori was online and interestingly, given the day I'd had, so was Carly. I got an invite from Tori and, to my surprise, found myself talking not just to her but to Carly and Sam as well.

"Hi gorgeous," Tori began, earning a look of revulsion from Sam, "How was your first day as a college boy?"

"Honestly? It was horrendous." I answered.

"How come?" asked Carly and Tori simultaneously.

"Everyone in my class hates my guts."

"Dude" said Sam, eyes suddenly shining, "one day and they ALREADY hate you? They really ARE smart at your school!"

"SAM!" admonished Carly before turning back to the webcam. "Why do they hate you Freddie?" she asked softly.

"Because I'm famous for being 'the nub who killed iCarly'" I said, not even trying to keep the hurt, or anger, out of my voice.

Carly's face fell as she and Sam looked at each other. Even Sam looked almost horrified. Tori just looked furious.

"What did you put on the website?" she growled at the girls.

"Oh Freddie, I'm so, so sorry." Carly was close to tears. "It was months ago, and we were angry and venting and…" she trailed off looking hopelessly at Sam.

"You blamed EVERYTHING on Freddie?" Tori spat.

"Worse" I said. "It was a 15 minute character assassination."

"I can't believe this." Tori said. "I was just starting to hope that we could get on – to make life easier for Freddie with his girlfriends and his oldest friends getting on together, and now I find out you did THAT to him! I can't talk to you anymore. I need to calm down. Freddie, I'll talk to you a bit later." And with that she logged off, leaving me looking at two very apprehensive-looking girls.

"Freddie…" Carly began, but I cut her off.

"I can't talk about this right now. I need to process. What you did wasn't just unpleasant – it was cruel, it was vindictive, it was EVIL." I spat the last word at them. "I need time to think about this" and with that I ended the videochat.

I texted Tori to let her know my plans for the evening and that I'd speak to her tomorrow. Looking at my watch I still had about an hour and a half before we were heading to the party so I pulled out the details of the class project we had to do and made a start on it, figuring that the best way of trying to start winning my classmates around was to start with Andy, my project partner – he at least HAD to talk to me, so I could try and make a good impression on him and undo the damage Carly and Sam had done. Thankfully quite a lot of the stuff in the project I could do in my sleep so I was able to produce some pretty decent and detailed designs ready to discuss with him.

The party itself was fine; it was a good way to spend the evening. I got a few comments, both positive and negative, from former iCarly viewers, and managed to present a few of them with my side of the story, which convinced a few of my detractors. For the most part though I hung out with Tom and the others from my dorm, chatted with people, got a surprising amount of interest from the girls at the party (declining phone numbers because it would upset my gorgeous singer/actress girlfriend – words can't describe how good it felt to be able to use that sentence). Going to bed that night I felt the day had finished far better than I could have hoped, I felt more confident that I would be able to build a relationship with my classmates in time, but I wondered whether there was any future for me and the girls I'd left behind in Seattle.


	5. One Day At A Time

_Dear Freddie,_

_ I'm probably the last person you want to hear from at the moment but I had to write to apologise for what Carly and I put on the website. While it was done when things between you and us were bad, what we did to you was inexcusable. If I could turn the clock back and not make that video then I would, but I can't, and since I can't all that I can do is tell you how sorry I am and that I hope that one day you can forgive us._

_ Stay brown,_

_ Sam_

I woke Tuesday morning to find that e-mail from Sam waiting for me. To say I was surprised was an understatement. I had been tempted to delete without reading when I saw it was from Sam, but took the time to look at it and was left feeling bewildered. Is she for real? Do I – can I – believe her? Is she finally growing up? Is she doing this for me, for her or maybe even for Carly – knowing that the two of us were patching things up? And what do I do about it? How do I respond? What they did made my life awful – again – but they did it before graduation, before we all cleared the air. Things were improving, particularly between me and Carly, so should I just forgive and move on? CAN I just forgive just like that? So much to think about.

True to Tom's prediction, the day was far better than Monday had been. It started the same, people ignoring me but I made of a point of walking up to Andy after first class to discuss the project. He reluctantly agreed to talk over lunch and when we did break for lunch we headed to the Terrence Food Court. At first we just sat there eating, he was scowling, but I broke the silence and began discussing the project and the start that I'd made. He seemed impressed with how much I'd done in one night, and the fact that I seemed to really know my stuff. Perhaps eager to not be outdone, or maybe embarrassed into action, he willingly took on a lot of the remaining work and then made a surprising comment that lifted my spirits.

"You're not a bit like they described you. You're a good guy – like you seemed whenever you were actually on camera."

I bit back a sarcastic reply; there'd be time for them later. I just said "Thanks. It's nice to know at least one person in class has seen the real me."

He gave a small smile and suggested that he could help me with that.

We were first to class in the afternoon and Andy sat next to me. The others started to arrive and surprised looks were aimed in our direction when people saw him sat with me. One spoke up,

"Andy – what are you sat with _Benson_ for?" spitting out my name like it were a bad taste on his tongue.

"We're project partners, Gary. We met for lunch and we talked. He's actually not a douche – and he really knows his stuff."

I'm not a douche – wow, that's the nicest thing anyone in this class has said to me.

Gary shrugged. He and some of the others sat with us for the afternoon, they were still frosty towards me but a couple of them were at least civil. Andy suggested getting a coffee afterwards and a few of us went to Kerckhoff. At Andy's request I gave my side of the story of iCarly's demise, which the guys seemed to accept willingly enough. The atmosphere was improving and when we parted company I felt that yes, progress had been made.

* * *

><p>I'd arranged with Tori for her to come over and see my dorm and some of the campus. She'd landed the lead in the first show of the year so we decided to make it just a quick tour before heading to Cooperage for something to eat and a couple of quick games of pool. Over dinner we discussed what Carly and Sam had done, what it meant for my relationship (and hers) with them, whether I could forgive it. Tori said that she wouldn't, as she put it "If someone eviscerated me like that then I don't think I'd ever want them in my life again." She did concede, however, that she wasn't the one living across the hallway from them (as I would be any time I was back in Seattle) so it would be more difficult for me to exist in a world where I was trying to keep Carly and Sam out of my life for good. While I had managed it successfully earlier, it had been by mutual avoidance. If Carly was determined to win back my friendship, she would be far harder to avoid. I showed Tori Sam's e-mail and we went over some of the questions I had asked myself that morning. Even with her help I was unable to find any satisfactory answers. She also commented that there was no mention of her in the e-mail, not even in passing, and that she had seemed less than friendly when the three of them were talking the previous evening, before I'd joined the conversation. I relayed some of the things Carly had said to me over the summer, about Sam seeming unhappy and not entirely accepting of Tori and I being in a relationship.<p>

"Sounds like she's not over you." Tori observed.

"You think?" I asked. "She seemed completely over me, the way she was acting after the break-up. She was briefly nice to me, then it was the old Sam, so I assumed the feelings, the 'in love' had gone. Maybe she thinks you should have been bound by the 'girl code' and that I was off limits to you?"

"Oh. Well if that IS what she thinks then too bad."

"Good."

Two games of pool later we headed back to my dorm. My room was empty so I was able to help her read through her part for the play. After the read-through we were cuddling on the coach, her in my lap. I planted a quick kiss on her lips, she responded and we were just getting ready for a really good make-out session when Tom walked in.

"Oops sorry bro, I – whoa" he finished as his eyes took in Tori. "Whoa man, I heard you turning down those girls' numbers last night because you had a hot girlfriend but wow!" He started turning bright red as he stumbled over his words. "I'll uh, I'll leave you guys to it" and he retreated to the communal area. I turned to Tori with a broad smile.

"Someone's got an admirer" I teased. She looked at me.

"Hot girlfriend?" she asked, eyebrows raised.

"I believe the phrase I used was 'gorgeous singer/actress girlfriend'" I defended.

"Oh. Anyone I know?" she smiled.

"You see her a couple of times a day."

"Really?" she looked confused. I smiled and looked over to my mirror.

"Actually," I said, pointing to the mirror, "she's over there right now."

"Oh. Well, I guess she is kinda hot" Tori laughed.

"I think so too" I said and kissed her again.

All too soon it was time for her to head home. I walked her to her car and kissed her goodnight.

Tom was still in the communal area when I returned.

"Does she have a sister?" he asked.

"Yeah" I said, grimacing slightly as I thought of Trina.

"Could you maybe introduce us?"

"I WOULD, but enough people here hate me already. I don't want to add you to that list."  
>He looked confused until I showed him Trina's page on The Slap and talked a little about the older Vega sibling.<p>

"I see what you mean" he conceded. "What about any of Tori's friends?"

I thought of Cat. Lovely girl, if a little scatter-brained and brought up her page.

"I could get Tori to see if Cat wanted to hang one evening?" I suggested. Tom seemed to like that idea.

* * *

><p><strong>Like it? Hate it? Think that I should give it up as a bad idea? Let me know.<strong>


	6. Costumes, Songs and Jade

**AN: Thanks to those who've reviewed. SirRay – fair point about the possibility of legal action over what was on the site. However, the offending video was taken down and deleted, and with Freddie thinking about how best to deal with it, the thought of suing really wasn't in his mind.**

**For the first time we're going to be looking at the story from Tori's PoV. We've also "caught up" after Freddie's reminisces of how he got to this point in the story, so it will be written a little more in the present tense rather than exclusively in the past as in previous chapters. Incidentally I'm working under the assumption that the kids can attend Hollywood Arts for their college career as well (otherwise with the age of the characters in series 1 the show only has a lifespan of 3 years).**

Awww I hate Wednesdays, Freddie works on a Wednesday evening so I won't be seeing him. I arranged with André to work on the songs I'd be singing in the play instead. Freddie's also managed to get himself a few extra shifts these next few Saturdays when I've got these detentions with Dickers. The first few I get to spend the day in the delightful company of Jade. It's likely to be a question of him closing the door and seeing which of us is still breathing when he returns. The plan is that I'll head to UCLA after detention and we'll spend the Saturday evenings hanging. We'll probably chat tonight when he gets home, maybe tomorrow too - or get together if neither of us are too busy. Friday night we're planning to hit Karaoke Dokie. I've already told Freddie that he has to sing. But before all that I still have the next few days to survive. We spent most of Sikowitz's class in the black box rehearsing. His advice became more and more random as he drank from his ever-present coconut but I thought it went pretty well overall. Beck and I have been cast as lead male and female, Jade also has a fairly major part and she and I have a duet to sing in the second act, so maybe practising that will keep her from trying to hurt me on Saturday.

The afternoon passed smoothly, I had my directing class in the afternoon. Fortunately I don't have to put on a play until later on this semester, due to my acting commitments. I've also been told it's time to take costume design. I'm not sure I have the creativity, or the imagination, that Cat does, but trying to think of a few designs will be quite good fun. Making the outfits will be tricky, though I guess I could ask my mom to help me out with it, and I'm sure Cat will give me plenty of inspiration and assistance whether I ask for it or not. I'll also pick Freddie's brain a bit, there were some fairly outlandish costumes used on iCarly from time to time so he may be able to help me out.

I went to find André after class finished. He was talking to Beck and Jade by their lockers. Surprisingly Jade looked rather happy to see me – far less scowly or glarey than usual. The guys went on ahead while I organised my bag and locker for the day. Jade was still by my shoulder, a small smile on her face.

"You're smiling, should I be worried?" I asked.

"You're not happy to see me smiling?"

"I'm just not used to it."

"Well, things can be a bit calmer now. You're not competition anymore."

"Huh?" I asked, wondering what she meant.

"I was always worried that you were trying to attract Beck. Maybe it was stupid of me, but the way you acted around him for your first couple of days here made me think the worst. But now you're in the same boat as me – you've got a guy, so we both need to keep our eyes on them and make sure those single girls don't try anything with them – especially for you with college girls hanging around Freddie all day."

"I don't think too many girls hang around in his class." I countered. "And I don't worry about him. He's proved himself loyal and trustworthy over a long period of time. I trust him completely."

Jade gave me a look that I couldn't quite read. Sympathy? Incredulity? Pity? Contempt? I have no idea what the look meant, and I didn't care to find out – so I changed the subject quickly.

"When should we practise our duet? I'm working on some of the songs with André tonight, and I'm seeing Freddie tomorrow and Friday night – maybe it could make all those detentions you dragged me into a bit more productive and work on it then?"

"Don't blame me for all of it Vega!" she charged. "One of them, yes, is on me – the rest was you talking back to Dickers."

"Whatever. Anyway, practise on Saturday?"

"Sure. Not like we'll have anything better to do all day."

And with that we left to catch up with the guys and leave school for the day.

* * *

><p>The evening practise with André went well. It would have been easier without Trina interrupting every few minutes with her latest dramas, latest crushes, latest diva fits – the usual stuff you have to suffer during life with Trina. We relieved some of the tension with me singing lines from my song in blues, R&amp;B and classic rock style and soon André and I were falling about laughing. Some day we're going to have to video these and post them on theSlap – I'm sure they'd be well received. We wrapped up around 10, I felt that I was pretty comfortable with most of the songs – we didn't bother with the duet, I'd work on that with Jade and André could practise the score for it later as well, but all the solos were sounding good. We still had 3 weeks before opening night so there was no hurry. About 5 minutes after André left I'd made myself a cup of cocoa and was getting ready to head to my room when my cell rang – it was Freddie.<p>

"Hi hon, you got off work?" I asked.

"Yeah, it's lucky they opened a store on campus, it means I can be back at the dorm in no time."

"Cool. I guess it makes sense having a tech store on campus – all your fellow students looking for supplies, or needing to get things fixed after the legendary frat parties."

"Well, I'm sure I'll see the fall-out from some of them as the year goes on. So how was your practise tonight? Getting there with the songs?"

"Yeah, André and I worked together on them for a few hours tonight – I think I'm good with most of them, except the duet. Jade and I will be practising that in detention this Saturday."

"Something to look forward to then," he noted drily.

"She was actually ok today – except for when she was trying to make me paranoid by reminding me that you're surrounded by college girls every day – just like the ones you turned down at the party on Monday" I finished, wanting to show that I didn't distrust him at all.

He laughed appreciatively. "I only have eyes for you Tori" he said simply.

We chatted for a little longer, comparing notes on how our days had gone and made plans to meet on campus the next day before saying goodnight and I quickly headed to my room, before Trina could throw another tantrum.


	7. Karaoke Night

**AN: Thanks for the reviews, they are always appreciated. SirRay, I can't disagree with your comments regarding what was said - though the issue will be addressed, and perhaps resolved, in due course.**

* * *

><p>"Hey Tori, how's your day been?" I asked my wonderful girl.<p>

"Great thanks. Looking forward to tomorrow night and showing LA how well you can sing?" she teased.

It's Thursday evening – one more day until the end of my first week at UCLA. Tori's planning on dragging me to some Karaoke bar tomorrow. It's not that I don't _want_ to sing, but I'm worried about stage-fright, about embarrassing her, particularly as she said some of her HA friends will be there. I'm also mindful that a poor performance could well find its way onto the internet for all time, and find its way to the attention of a couple of girls I still have to decide how to deal with. Fortunately there may just be a way of finding myself an out, though maybe not after we had to cancel our plans to meet tonight – she's too busy with schoolwork and her production, so I'm trying to use it as an opportunity to get ahead with the work that will inevitably pile up later in the semester.

"Actually Tori, I need to talk about that. I know we've plans but a few of the guys on the course want to meet up for a meal and an evening out to celebrate the end of our first week in college. I think it's important, especially with how things started, for me to be one of the crowd and make sure I've got some good friends, as I have to spend my next 4 years with these guys. Could you meet us on campus, I'm sure they wouldn't complain if you joined us for dinner, then maybe we can sneak off afterwards and still get to your Karaoke club?"

"Uh, sure. I know this is important to you, and it would be nice to get to know some of the people you hang with at school. When and where?"

"Rubio's, 7 o'clock?"

"I'll be there. Well, I have lines and songs to rehearse; I imagine you have homework and stuff to do, so I'll see you then?"

"Great. Thanks for this Tori." And with that we signed off.

Tom was sat on his bed, reading.

"So, what's she like?" he asked.

"Tori?" I said. "She's amazing. Really pretty, well you've seen her – obviously. She's so talented too, singing, dancing, acting – the whole package. And she's smart too, the whole package really..."

"No" he interrupted, "I mean what's she LIKE, y'know, in the sack?"

"What?" I asked, rather incredulous that he was asking personal questions.

"Oh come on, nothing wrong with a little guy-talk is there?"

"I guess not, but the truth is there's nothing to tell. Tori and I – haven't got there yet."

"Seriously? You're dating HER and not doing her? Dude, you're in college! The whole point of having a hot girl is HAVING her."

"Maybe for you" I countered, "But for me our relationship is built on respect. We were friends before we got together, I want it to work, I want it to last, and I'm not going to rush things or do something that might jeopardise it by listening to other people's rules." I saw Tom shake his head and a thought struck me. "Is that all you'd want I introduced you to Cat?"

He shrugged. "Well from what you've said it wouldn't be for the great conversation, would it?"

"In that case, forget it. She's a good friend of mine, and I'm not going to see her hurt."

He wasn't happy but I wasn't going to budge on this. Eventually he had to accept my decision (he couldn't really do much else) and we dropped the subject, reverting to mindless topics and trying to forget the conversation had happened.

* * *

><p>I got to the restaurant just before 7 and met my course mates in the waiting area. There were 8 of us (excluding Tori who was yet to arrive) so we asked for a table for 10, ordered drinks and began talking about how the week had gone, how the place compared to our expectations, stuff like that – when suddenly the table went quiet and all eyes turned to a spot behind me. I glanced over my shoulder.<p>

"Oh hey Tori," I said, standing up and pulling up an extra chair for her next to mine. She looked stunning in a black sparkly top and tight, dark blue jeans. "Guys, this is my girlfriend Tori Vega – I told you she'd be here" I added with a smile to the seemingly awestruck teenage boys sat at the table. "Tori, this is Andy, Gary, Tim, Phil, Sean, Danny and Joe."

"Nice to meet you all" she said, smiling round the table at them, "especially now that you don't all hate my boyfriend anymore!"

There were some embarrassed glances shared by my friends before Andy spoke up.

"We were wrong" he said simply. "We listened to the gossip and to one side of the story."

"It's cool guys, really." I said.

"Yeah, I was just messin' with you all" Tori said with a broad smile. "Well, that and looking out for my man" and she placed her hand possessively on my arm.

* * *

><p>"So," I asked when we'd finished eating, "where are you guys headed next?"<p>

"Probably just a couple of the bars around here – maybe to Cooperage to shoot some pool. How about you two?" Tim asked.

"Freddie's gonna wow the crowds at Karaoke Dokie" Tori teased me. I smiled back.

"Oh this I HAVE to see" said Andy. "Would it cramp your style if we came along?"

Tori and I exchanged looks but she said,

"Not really, some of my schoolmates will be there too so it's not like it would be just the two of us anyway."

So we made our way as a group to the Karaoke bar. The guys seemed rather confused when one of the patrons called Tori 'Louise' and asked if she would be singing tonight.

"Louise?" asked Joe.

I explained. "Two of Tori's friends got into an argument with the owner's daughter and her friend. They bet them that ANYBODY could sing better than Hayley and Tara could – and they picked what they thought was a no-hoper – 'Louise', who was Tori in disguise. A quite HIDEOUS disguise if truth be known." I smiled, thinking back to the photos I'd seen. "She ditched the disguise mid-song and brought the place to its feet with her singing." I turned to Tori, "I'm sure they'll be demanding you do 'Freak the Freak Out' tonight."

"Probably" she laughed.

"So why do all that?" Gary asked.

"To teach them a lesson" Tori supplied.

"Did they learn it?"

"Well they had to spend the evening with my sister, who'd just had her wisdom teeth removed, so I'm thinking yeah" she smirked.

"So what about you Benson? What are you singing?" Phil asked.

"I haven't given it much thought" I admitted.

Andy piped up. "$10 says you don't dare sing Number One by Ginger Fox."

I winced at the memory of the talentless diva, glanced at Tori, who looked a little horrified by the prospect, but turned to Andy with a smile and just said, "You're on."

I signed up and returned to the table as Beck, Jade, André, Cat and Robbie showed up, the latter still wielding his ludicrous puppet on his hand.

"Guys," Tori began, "PLEASE talk Freddie out of singing Number One tonight!"

"No way" said Jade, "this is gonna be the highlight of the night!"

Tori groaned and rested her forehead on the table.

"Go on Louise" I teased, "You need to sign up too." I turned to Jade. "Are you and Cat able to sing here now?"

"I'm signing up – so yes" said Jade simply and the two girls followed Tori to register their song choices.

All too soon I was called to the stage, and – to huge applause I might add – performed an adequate rendition of Ginger Fox's hit. Returning to the table I caught the look on Tori's face but as I sat down I simply commented,

"You may look away Tori, but you'd be surprised at what I'll do for $10!" as I held my hand out towards Andy. To my surprise all the guys pitched in and pressed bills into my hands, commenting that it was money well spent (I shudder to think how many of them filmed it) but I came away with $70 for my efforts. I waved the wad in Tori's direction and observed,

"Some lucky girl's going to get a good date out of this."

She smiled. "Suddenly I'm not embarrassed any more, and actually you were really good, considering the song choice."

"Maybe we'll pick something more suitable next time" I suggested.

The flirting was curtailed by Tori being called to the stage – under her own name this time – and, by popular demand, she did sing "Freak the Freak Out" again, once again bringing the house down and drawing particularly wild applause from my colleagues. Cat and Jade were next to sing, much to the annoyance of two girls who Tori informed me were Hayley and Tara. The rest of the evening was spent talking and an opportunity for the UCLA and Hollywood Arts crowds to socialise, bond a little and generally have fun. Sadly the evening came to an end slightly earlier than we'd have liked, Tori reminding us that she and Jade had another Saturday detention the next day, so they couldn't stay out too late. Tori and I kissed goodnight and I headed for campus with my friends while she left for home.


	8. Detention with Dickers

**AN: Thank you for the continued reviews, they mean a lot to me and do actually inspire me to write more often.**

**For those that want to visualise it, Maestro's is believed to be the restaurant the HA kids frequented in **_**The Great Ping Pong Scam.**_

* * *

><p>6:30 in the morning. My alarm should NOT be going off at 6:30 on a SATURDAY morning! But here we are, Saturday morning, detention with Dickers – and a whole day alone with Jade – just the two of us. It could go very badly, or it could actually go quite well given how civil we were towards each other a few days ago. Parts of that conversation are just starting to prey on my mind a little, though I've able to push those thoughts aside for the time being, particularly after last night.<p>

We were both there for 7 a.m. but I'm sure neither of looked particularly awake. After a draining night of karaoke I felt exhausted this morning, perhaps Jade and I need to take it easier next Friday night as we're both back here again next Saturday, but damn it I want to spend Friday nights with my awesome boyfriend and I won't let Dickers stop me. Talking to Jade on the way to the classroom we'd been ordered to, we agreed that if it came to it we'd crash on the comparatively comfortable couches in the library – or at least we would have been able to if Dickers wasn't LOCKING US IN THE CLASSROOM! With a promise that he'd "see you girls at 3 p.m." _Ok, Tori, just let Jade fume for a while. Say nothing that could provoke her – that could get you hurt_. She ranted for fully 25 minutes, with me interjecting the occasional "sure", "yeah" or "I agree", each of which seemed to earn me nothing but a glare and some more of Jade's ire, but eventually she cooled enough to breathe – or it could have been that she finally ran out of invectives. Either way, by 7:30 she was ready for a new subject.

"Do you want to rehearse the duet?" I asked her, "Or some of our other lines and shared scenes? A couple of our songs maybe?"

"Sure," she said, "We may as well get something out of today."

We both dug in our bags for our scripts and got to work, spending most of our time on the duet. By midday we had it down pretty well, we were looking for the best way of singing to complement each other's voices and to try to bring the best out of the song. We had most of our lines and timings down as well, along with our individual songs, and with opening night drawing nearer I was feeling fairly relaxed. I was confident that, if I had to, I could perform it tonight. We then spent the afternoon working on school stuff, trading mindless chatter, if not quite ENJOYING each other's company, at least she didn't give any impression that she wanted to kill me today. Finally Dickers returned and unlocked the door. He seemed disappointing that we were both still breathing. With a snarl he reminded us that he'd be seeing us next Saturday morning as well (thankfully that would be our last Saturday detention, though the following Saturday was opening night so we'd still be at school that morning!)

"So, how's things with Freddie?" she enquired as we were leaving. "You two looked pretty cosy last night."

"Things are great at the moment, I'm really happy" I smiled, a little surprised at her genuine-sounding interest. "He's an amazing guy, especially compared to some of the losers in my past, he's just fantastic!"

"Aw, the girl-next-door gets her boy-next-door" she joked.

"I guess so" I responded, but then a couple of things that had just started to bubble in my mind about our relationship came to the fore and I realised something… "Jade, I need some advice and I don't know who else to ask. I know we've just spent eight hours locked in a room together, but at the risk of you killing me, how do fancy coffee and some girl talk?"

* * *

><p>I had texted Freddie as we left school, letting him know that I'd be a little late in meeting him. I texted him again from the coffee bar as Jade and I parted. It had been a productive chat, I'd been open with her, with what was on my mind and, to her credit, Jade had had some really good advice for me. It had certainly cleared up a couple of things for me and helped me to organise my thoughts. I drove to the UCLA campus to meet Freddie. After his windfall from last night he was treating us to dinner at Maestro's, a fancier date just for the two of us after last night's group event, so I'd picked out a nice, sparkling pale blue dress for the occasion. Freddie was already dressed to go in a smart shirt, tie and dress pants.<p>

"Hi handsome," I said, planting a soft kiss on his cheek. He chuckled and gave a smile that may have held some nervousness or awkwardness, I wasn't quite sure. He told me he'd call the restaurant to make a reservation while I used his bathroom to change.

I changed, fixed my hair and make-up in the mirror and emerged from the bathroom, feeling a little self-conscious in my dress, until I saw the look on Freddie's face.

"Wow Tori, you look absolutely amazing" he told me, his eyes full of sincerity. Now I was the one wearing the awkward and nervous smile. I offered him my hand, he took it and we made our way to my car, then I drove us to Maestro's.

"Table for two, name of Benson" Freddie told the Maitre d', who led us to our table and handed us menus. A waitress arrived soon after and we ordered drinks. When our juices arrived we placed our orders (we decided to share a barbecued ribs starter, Freddie ordered steak and fries, I opted for a half roasted chicken and fries) and the waitress departed.

"So how was spending the day with Jade? Must've been ok if you two went for coffee afterwards as well" Freddie observed.

"It was better than I expected." I conceded. "We spent most of the day rehearsing really – I'm happy that I've got my lines and songs down now – and if I do say so myself, our duet should be AMAZING."

"In that case, I can't wait for opening night. Did you talk about much else during your long day together?"

I took a quick sip of my drink while I formulated my reply.

"We did schoolwork, a bit of girl talk…" I caught his sceptical look and grinned, "I know, not exactly Jade's style is it? But she's mellowed towards me… a little anyway." Freddie laughed at this. I took another sip of my drink and continued.

"It was good really. You know, just girl stuff. She was there, I was there. I'm not sure I'd say we 'bonded', but it was good."

Further talk was curtailed by the arrival of our starters. The food was as good as I remembered, though I reminded myself not to order any caviar. I smiled at the memory and relayed the story to Freddie as we waited for our entrees. He shook his head, _Oh Robbie_, and I explained how André and I had saved the day, with a little help and a borrowed dress. Now I look back, it's actually quite a funny story – though none of us were laughing at the time.

"How was your day at work?" I asked him.

"Fine" he said. "Things are getting busier, mostly people from the campus – as you predicted they've broken their stuff during frat parties, or just looking for the latest upgrades. We get a few people from town coming into the store as well, but it is mostly college kids at the moment. The manager said they may ask me to go to the store downtown for the occasional shift if things slack off, but we'll see how it goes for now."

Our meals were served at this point, we ordered another drink each and savoured the excellent food. Freddie stole a bite of mine before offering a bite of his own to 'appease' my pouting look. We traded a couple more bites as we finished our entrees.

"You got room for dessert?" Freddie asked.

"No," I groaned, "the desserts here are great but no."

"Ok" he said and attracted our waitress's attention to ask for the check. When it arrived he slid a few bills into the wallet and smiled at me saying "Thank you guys!" I grinned back. We stood up, he took my hand and we left the restaurant.

I was unusually quiet on the drive back to Freddie's dorm, so much so that I caught him shooting me slightly concerned glances out of the corner of my eye. He didn't enquire, though I had the excuse of the meal we'd enjoyed to fall back on if he had done. I didn't want to lie to him, but I felt that a small fib would be for the greater good in this situation. After what seemed an eternity, we pulled into a spot outside his building and left my car. We walked to the door and I wrapped him in my arms, planting a passionate kiss on his lips, slipping my tongue into his eager mouth, trying to say with the kiss what I wanted to say with my words. Eventually I had to surface for air and pulled myself slightly away from him, took my arms from around him and stepped backwards. I looked him in the eye and said simply,

"I love you Freddie Benson."

Then I turned and walked back to my car and drove away without giving him a chance to respond.


	9. Needing to Talk

"I love you Freddie Benson"

That's what she said, then she left, left before I could respond, or react, or say anything. Why? And what do I do about it? I wish I knew what was going on inside her head, how I should respond. The last time a girl told me that, it was Sam just as we broke up. Before that it was Carly while she was temporarily infatuated with me, so my track record isn't great with girls and the 'L' word. I really need to talk to her, but tonight? She obviously ran for a reason, so should I leave her be? It's all just so confusing. And if I DID talk to her, what would I say?

Actually that one's easy – I'd say it back. It's been building for a while, and after everything that's happened recently: my talk with Tom, the dates we've had, the time we've spent together, how often I think of her while we're apart, THAT kiss from a few minutes ago – I'm ready to tell her how I feel. I just wish she'd given me the chance tonight.

So now what? It's not the sort of thing I want to say for the first time over the phone, or video-chat or text message – that'd be stupid. And I can't go racing after her – I don't have a car here. We'd tentatively arranged to see each other on Tuesday. Can I wait that long? How can I contact her WITHOUT addressing this? If only she'd let me respond rather than leaving.

I find myself sat in the communal area of my dorm. A beep on my phone brings me out of my reverie. An e-mail from Carly?

_Hey Freddie._

_Don't panic, but I've been thinking. I know you're still angry and upset about what Sam and I posted on the iCarly website, I think I've found a way to fix a little of the damage. Next time you're home (probably Thanksgiving?) we could do a one-off show, with you involved, and make sure the record is put straight, that everyone knows that we were wrong, that we're sorry, and we'd apologise to you on air. I know it can't change the past, but it would hopefully make things better going forwards. I hope you and Tori are well and that you'll feel that you want to talk to me soon._

_Love,_

_Carly_

Suddenly the other big issue in my life comes back to the fore. My relationship with Tori, and improving relations with my classmates, had put the problems with Carly and Sam to the back of my mind. The prospect of an on-air apology was appealing, and would hopefully help to show people that I _wasn't_ the villain of the piece. However I was pretty sure that I wouldn't be in Seattle for Thanksgiving, my work had suggested that they'd want me in the downtown store for the traditional Black Friday chaos. I was hoping, therefore, to get an invite to Tori's for the evening – assuming they had no other plans for the long weekend.

I decided that I _would_ talk to Carly. If nothing else it would take my mind off the whole Tori issue, or maybe I could get a second opinion on what to do. It would also help to clear the air a bit. I WAS still upset about what they'd done, but both girls HAD now apologised to me and they had at least tried to come up with a plan to make things better. If I was lucky she'd still be on-line and available for a webchat. Unfortunately that wasn't the case, so instead I just sent her an e-mail saying that what she suggested sounded good and that it would be nice to talk to her sometime. I suggested a video chat tomorrow night.

With the iCarly issue resolved, for now anyway, I turned my attention back to my girlfriend's actions. With me not having a car in LA I checked the local bus schedules. There was no bus tonight but a reasonable service for tomorrow – I reckon I can be at her house for around 10 o'clock with no difficulty. Now I just need to spend some time figuring out what to say and how to say it.

The rest of my evening was spent playing possible conversations out in my mind, trying to visualise how Tori would respond to whatever I could say – but ultimately I was just driving myself insane and getting absolutely nowhere, so eventually I decided to hit the sack and worry about it in the morning. Of course, instead I found myself worrying about it for half the night, sleeping fitfully and hoping that I didn't disturb Tom too much. Sadly that proved to be too much to hope for.

"Dude, what was your problem last night?" he asked during breakfast.

"Stuff on my mind" I said non-committally.

"Girl trouble?" he guessed.

"I hope not, I just need to see her and talk to her about a couple of things – I'm gonna get the bus over there after breakfast and see if we can sort stuff out."

"Ok, good luck."

"Thanks."

* * *

><p>The bus seemed to take an age to get to Tori's neighbourhood. Fortunately I knew the area well enough, having spent most of the summer around there, so I was able to walk quickly from the stop to her house. It was a little after 10 when I arrived and I noticed André's car in the driveway – she had said they'd be practising some of the songs and music for the show today. I rang the doorbell and Tori answered.<p>

"Hi Freddie" she said, sounding a little surprised at my arrival. I noticed that she looked a little more dishevelled than usual (though I would never tell her that!) and wondered whether she too was a little sleep-deprived after last night. "Why didn't you say you were coming over? I could have picked you up."

I followed her into the house and said hello to André.

"I needed to speak to you, and in person" I began. "I couldn't do this over the phone and I couldn't talk to you without talking about it, so I came over. André, could you give us a minute?"

"Suddenly I need the bathroom" he declared and left the two of us alone in the living area. I took her hand, sat on the couch, pulling her down next to me, looked her in the eyes and began,

"I spent all night thinking – about what you said to me – I played out a million possible scenarios and conversations between us – but none of them sounded sensible, so I'll just do it this way. I love you too, Tori Vega". Then I kissed her. She kissed back.

"I'm so glad to hear you say that Freddie" she said, a huge smile on her face.

"I would have told you last night if you had stayed around. Why didn't you?" I asked. She took a deep breath.

"I didn't want to pressure you. I just sprung it on you and didn't want you to either feel you HAD to say it – or have the awkwardness of us being stood there with you feeling unable to say it. It was the right time for me to tell you, but I didn't know if it was time for you as well."

I really wasn't sure how to respond to that so I decided not to. I simply leaned in and began making out with her again. André emerged a few seconds later and observed,

"I see everything's chill then for you two."

Tori reluctantly pulled away.

"Yeah" she said with a broad smile. "We gotta rehearse" she said, looking disappointed. "Stick around, we'll get the songs down then we can just hang for the rest of the day."

"Sounds like a plan" I said, grinning.

* * *

><p>Wow, Tori had told me that the songs sounded good – I didn't realise just HOW good though. I still hadn't heard her duet with Jade (she wasn't here after all) but the others sound great. I can't wait for opening night when Tori's giving them absolutely everything. After they'd finished rehearsing them, we sat having lunch, talking about everything and nothing, then André decided to head home and leave us to it, though he may have been influenced by Trina's return. We exchanged pleasantries with the elder Vega sister before Tori and I decided a walk in the local park was in order.<p>

"I got an e-mail from Carly last night" I told her. Her body tensed noticeably, her hand tightening around mine.

"What did she want?"

"To make things better. She's suggested doing an iCarly special the next time I'm in Seattle and trying to undo the damage that they caused to my reputation."

"Oh, well it's good that they're trying to make things right I guess, especially as you'd be across the hall from Carly. It would make your life easier, wouldn't it?"

"It would, yes. I've arranged to video chat with her tonight. At least start to rebuild things."

"Sounds good. You want me in on it?"

"Thanks for the offer, but it's probably better if it's just the two of us for now – unless Sam is there as usual of course."

"No problem."

We strolled round the park talking idly for a little longer before Tori drove me back to campus.

"So" she said, placing her arms round my back and pulling me close, "see you on Tuesday?"

"Definitely" I said, smiling at her before leaning in for a kiss.

"Love you" she said as we finally parted.

"Love you too" I said and waved as she got into her car.

* * *

><p>Tom couldn't fail to notice the broad smile on my face as I entered the communal area and took a seat on the couch.<p>

"I see everything's fine again" he observed.

"Yep" I said.

"Great – I might actually get some sleep tonight!"

"Sorry about that. Hopefully it won't happen again now. So what are you watching?"

"Just the football."

I sat watching with him for a few minutes before fixing myself something to eat then headed back to my room to prepare for my talk with Carly.

* * *

><p>"Hey Carls, how are you?" I began.<p>

"Hi Freddie", her smile was radiant. It had been far too long since I'd really seen her smile like that.

"How's school?" I asked. We spent the next few minutes comparing notes on classes and courses – I got the feeling that she was desperately trying to avoid the topic of course_mates_, for obvious reasons, until I brought it up.

"Things are better with the guys on my course," I said, "After a while they heard my side of the story, and they accepted it." I decided not to mention Friday night. Fun as it had been I really didn't want Carly or Sam scouring Splashface to see if it had been uploaded yet.

"Yes, I saw you were singing with them on Friday" she said. Oh great, she already knows.

"You saw that?" I groaned. "I guess that means Sam has as well."

"Yes, you sang it well enough but I think Sam has spent the last two days watching the video over and over and laughing."

I decided a quick change of subject was in order.

"So, an iCarly special"

"Yes" she said, smile fading and putting on a more serious expression. "I'm glad things are better for you at UCLA, but we still need to do something to put this right for you, so what do you think about doing an episode when you're back for Thanksgiving."

"Sounds good in theory, but I don't think I'll be back for Thanksgiving. I probably need to be at work on Black Friday, so it looks like I'll be down here."

"Oh, that sucks" she said. "I was really hoping to catch up over that weekend. I guess we'll have to wait for Christmas and do it then."

We spent the rest of our chat talking about what was going on in our lives, mine with Tori (I kept it simple, I didn't feel the time was right to reveal the latest developments so I stuck to telling her about our nice meal on Saturday night and that things were going really well), her latest love interest (like all the others it had been a short-lived infatuation and not gone anywhere), Sam, Spencer then signed off, agreeing to talk again during the week and to start to come up with some ideas for the iCarly "comeback".


	10. The Point of No Return

_The Slap mobile _

_Tori Vega: OMG. Tonight is Opening Night_

_Feeling: Nervous_

I smiled at my girlfriend's latest update as I checked the site on my break from work. When I'd last spoken to her she had seemed prepared, focussed and ready. We hadn't seen much of each other over the past fortnight – extra rehearsals had occupied most of her evenings this week so I'd taken extra shifts at work, and Andy and I had got our project pretty much finished, weeks ahead of the deadline. He'd asked for a ticket for the performance (personally I think he just wanted to drool over Tori) so I'd got him one and arranged for him to drive us to Hollywood Arts for the evening. How I'd return to UCLA would depend on Tori and whether we made plans for afterwards.

The afternoon dragged on, it was a fairly quiet day customer-wise but finally my shift ended and I made my way back to the form for a quick bit to eat and a shower before meeting Andy and heading for the Hollywood Arts theatre.

On the short journey to Hollywood I was able to reflect on one thing that I HAD been able to do over the last couple of weeks, which was to talk to Carly and, occasionally, Sam. There was still something of an aloofness to Sam towards me, particularly when Carly enquired after Tori or about how things were between the two of us. I find it hard to believe that she's actually jealous, or that she still has _those_ feelings for me after all this time, despite what she said after graduation. We had worked out most of what to do on the iCarly special, though we still hadn't been able to arrange a date for it, over Christmas was still looking the most likely time, giving us plenty of opportunity to mobilise the old message boards and get the fans back for the night. There were a couple of blank spaces in the provisional schedule, though Sam said she had an idea about how to fill them. That set a few alarm bells ringing inside my head but, after everything that had happened, I knew it couldn't be TOO bad for me – there's no way she'd pull something bad enough to risk the still-fragile peace between me and them, and I'm sure Carly would never allow her to jeopardise both the show and what remained of our friendship.

* * *

><p>Act one of the play was SPECTACULAR, my friends were all word- and note-perfect, culminating with Tori and Jade singing a duet called <em>Because He Loves Me<em>. Basically they're playing two girls in love with the same guy (played by Beck) and fighting over him (sorry Tori, but if it comes to an ACTUAL fight then my money's on Jade – unless you can get Shelby in as a ringer of course). Andy got us drinks during the interval, then suddenly asked me:

"So, how did you two meet?"

"Remember the impromptu iCarly from Kenan's house a year or so ago?" I asked.

"Of course!" he said, with a look of dawning comprehension. "THAT'S where I recognised her from – she and Carly were dating the same guy! Then they humiliated him live on your show. I KNEW she looked familiar from somewhere but I figured it was that she bears a bit of a resemblance to Shelby Marx."

"You think so too?" I laughed, then continued. "Yeah, we hit it off that night at the party and kept in touch. And as you saw she's not someone to get on the wrong side of. She may seem all girl-next-door but what she and Carly did to Steven? Just one example of what happens if you upset her."

"What else has she done?" asked Andy, sounding rather surprised that my girl had this side to her.

"Well," I continued, "on her first day at Hollywood Arts she accidentally spilt coffee on Beck. She tried to mop it up then Jade walked in and thought she was groping him. So Jade dumped a load of coffee on Tori during class, then the next day Tori engineered a scene that had her and Beck making out in front of Jade."

"Ouch, so those two don't get on?"

"Well, things are better between them these days, but just after Tori started at Hollywood Arts, yes there was a lot of animosity there."

"And, rather surprisingly, Tori sounds like someone not to cross."

"Nope – she found out that her ex-boyfriend was dating Cat, flipped out with jealousy and dumped hot cheese over the pair of them – then kissed him in front of Cat. Not something she's proud of, but something she did." Andy was looking incredulous by now. "Then there was a guy called Ryder – he dated her for a bit, until she found out he dates girls to help him get a good grade in a class and then dumps them. She and André then wrote a different song, turned Ryder's mic off and Tori sang this song calling him out over all the girls he'd messed around with, utterly humiliating him in front of everyone. So you don't upset Tori Vega!"

"Wow, lucky she doesn't hate me anymore" he said. I laughed.

The show resumed after the intermission – if anything Act 2 was even better, once again everyone was pretty much perfect in their performances, drawing a standing ovation from the audience at the end. Andy and I hung around as everyone else began to dissipate after the show. Tori came out quickly to see me, we shared a long, passionate kiss, I congratulated her on her performance and she asked me to wait around and we'd head back to her place for the evening. I said goodbye to Andy and he headed for UCLA while I waited for Tori to get ready. I passed the time talking to a couple of the staff from Hollywood Arts, particularly Sikowitz, who I'd met briefly at Kenan's party, and André who was behind the scenes dealing with the musical side of the show.

Tori, Beck and Jade emerged a little later; I congratulated the others on their excellent acting and, in Jade's case, singing. She and Beck soon headed off to do their own thing so Tori and I headed for her car and she drove us back to her place. As soon as we entered her house she surprised me by pushing me up against the door and taking ownership of my lips. There was no feeling of romance, just raw urgency, need and passion in her kisses. I responded in kind, returning her kisses with equal fervour. Eventually we had to come up for air, her eyes never leaving my own, an expression of pure love lighting up her eyes and her face. She reached behind me and locked the front door before taking my hand and leading me, wordlessly to her room. As we entered she wrapped her left arm around my waist and leaned back against the door, pulling me close to her for another kiss. As she used her right hand to lock the door and deepened the kiss I knew that tonight our relationship was going to change forever.

* * *

><p><strong>And there, gentle reader, we must leave our young couple – in the interests of preserving this story's T rating. What happens on the other side of that door I shall leave to your imaginations, though anyone assuming that they played World of Warlords all night may find that some of the next chapter doesn't make very much sense.<strong>


	11. The Morning After The Night Before

**AN: Some of this chapter might be getting a little close to being borderline 'M'. Hopefully it's ok to get away with keeping the 'T' but if people have misgivings then I'll see about making changes, I really don't want to 'M' rate it as I don't think the story warrants it.**

* * *

><p>I awoke after a refreshing sleep and glanced over to the bedside clock – 8:30. My next look was to my other side, drawn to the sleeping, peaceful form of Freddie Benson. My thoughts wandered back to the night before, from the adrenaline high of the performance to the moves I'd put on my boyfriend the second I got him through my front door (thankfully my parents were away for the weekend and Trina had found someone willing to invite her to a sleepover), culminating in the passionate yet tender and beautiful night we'd just shared. I lay back, staring at the ceiling, draped my arm over Freddie's chest and thought back on the journey that had taken us to this point, and perhaps crucially to my talks with Jade. A month ago I'd have thought it ridiculous that I'd be turning to her for – and getting – relationship advice, yet that had proved to be the case. I closed my eyes again, a contented smile on my lips.<p>

* * *

><p><em>Three Weeks Ago<em>

"_Thanks for this Jade – I'm sure more me right after a day in detention together wasn't your first choice for ways to spend the afternoon."_

"_Hey, keep buying the coffee and I'll stay all day" she joked. Jade, cracking jokes?_

"_I'm worried about what you said" I began, without preamble. "About Freddie, parties, college girls. It scares me."_

"_So you DON'T trust him then" – it was a statement, rather than a question, from Jade._

"_I do, it's just… temptations, me wondering why he'd stick with me when he could have his pick of girls…"_

"_You need to stop that" she interrupted. "I'm sorry if what I said spooked you, it was just me being me. I went through the jealousy, and the worry, with Beck, quite a bit of it concerning you to be honest, and you'll just go crazy. I know from experience – remember Alyssa Vaughn?" I nodded. "Mistrust and jealousy very nearly wrecked everything for us. Don't go down that road Tori."_

"_I really love him though. I don't want some college chick to steal him from me."_

"_Have you told him you love him?" I shook my head. "Might be an idea to say so" she suggested._

"_What if he can't, or won't, say it back" I voiced my other fear._

"_Tell him then run away before he can say ANYTHING" she shrugged before turning to her coffee and taking a long draught._

* * *

><p>I wasn't sure that she was entirely serious when she said that, but it seemed the best way to alleviate my fears about dropping 'the bomb' on Freddie, and it had worked. I suppressed a giggle at the way he raced across LA to tell me he loved me too, but I couldn't stop the smile on my face growing. I leaned over and kissed his cheek, causing a small smile to intrude on his slumbers then closed my eyes again.<p>

* * *

><p><em>Last Saturday, Hollywood Arts, 9 a.m.<em>

"_Awesome" declared Jade as finished our duet. "We are going to ROCK on opening night – I can't wait."_

"_Not least because Dickers doesn't have us in detention anymore after today" I pointed out._

"_Definitely. I can't wait to have a lot more alone-time with Beck. No offence Tori but you're not quite the same."_

_Hearing her talk like that brought something else to the surface, something that again I felt I couldn't ask anyone else – not my mom, or Cat and DEFINITELY not Trina._

"_So when did you and Beck decide the time was right to… you know..?" I asked. Jade raised her eyebrows a little. Aw, don't make me say it! "I mean," I tried again, "when did you know you were ready to take that step?"_

"_Tori" she said forcefully, "if you can't even SAY the word sex then I don't think you're ready for it!"_

_I sighed, squirming slightly as I felt my embarrassment growing._

"_Hey I'm just new at all this 'girl-talk' stuff. Who else would me options be? Cat? Trina? Please!" Jade laughed at this observation. I persevered "I feel really strongly about him and I want this, I'm just not sure how to go about y'know… telling him, bringing it up."_

"_One thing I've always believed Tori, actions speak louder than words. If in doubt, remember that."_

"_You mean – seduce him?"_

_She shrugged again._

"_If you want this – and if you have to."_

* * *

><p>A tingling sensation on my neck pulled me back to the present. Freddie was awake and placing soft kisses on my neck. I took his hand in my own and squeezed it gently, turning slightly to face him, leaning in to kiss his lips.<p>

"Hey" I said with a smile.

"Morning beautiful" he replied, rolling over slightly to gather me into his arms. We lay there comfortably together in blissful silence for a couple of minutes before a slightly troublesome thought pulled me from my reverie.

"I'm going to miss you" I said, "over Thanksgiving. Don't forget about me when you're back in Seattle with Carly and Sam". I snuggled up even closer to him as I said this, nuzzling his neck.

"I'm not going back for Thanksgiving" he said, causing me to lift my head with surprise and to look at him. "I need to be at work on Black Friday so I'm going to be here."

Suddenly I saw the colour start to drain from his face.

"Tori, is that what last night was about?" The fear was evident in his voice.

"Oh God no, Freddie" I said, my voice as strong as I could make it in an effort to put all my reassurance into it. "Last night was because I _love_ you, I wanted to show you how much and I felt it was _our_ time. Didn't you?"

"It was a bit of a surprise" he admitted. "I thought that we'd talk about it before it happened – but this way worked as well" he finished with a hint of a grin.

"You didn't want to?" I asked uncertainly. He slid out of my arms, took my hands in his own and looked me straight in the eyes – I felt myself getting lost in his stare.

"If I hadn't wanted it to happen, then I would have said so" he said softly, before cracking a smile and adding, "Then I'd have checked myself into a mental home." The tension broke at this point and I giggled. "I LOVE you Tori Vega," he continued, and I heard his voice firming the way mine had moments earlier. "I wanted this to happen, I'm just surprised it happened this way." Then he leaned in and kissed me again. I kissed back. As we were already naked and in bed, it didn't take long before 'round 2' began.


	12. School and Sikowitz

**AN: As always, thanks are due to all who have read and reviewed. I hope you continue to enjoy reading the story as much as I enjoy writing it**

* * *

><p>Monday morning at school consisted mainly of being congratulated. Teachers, students, everyone seemed to have loved the production that we'd put on. By our lockers I met up with an extremely relaxed and contented-looking Jade, I'm guessing her Saturday night went as well as mine did.<p>

"So Tori, how was the rest of your weekend?" she asked me.

"Fantastic" I answered dreamily. Her eyes widened.

"No way, you and Freddie really did it?" she asked, shocked. "Wow Tori, who'd have thought that you had it in you?"

I turned bright red at her words and she fixed me with her glare as the double entendre hit her.

"Hey Vega, get your mind out of the sewer" she told me, just a hint of amused playfulness in her voice.

* * *

><p>My first class of the day was make-up. Today would be a practical class, we weren't onto special effects yet (so no danger of a repeat of the great zombie disaster of a couple of years ago), we'd simply covered the basics of using make-up to produce a "natural" look under lights or on camera and would be practising on our class-mates, using simple foundations etc. to see how well we could get the 'perfect-yet-natural' appearance that we routinely see on stage and screen.<p>

In readiness for today's class I had tried to absorb everything I could from the experience of my own make-up being applied for the show we'd just done: which areas to focus on, what colours to use, how much to apply – things like that, then I'd tried to match it up to the theory we'd covered in previous classes.

My partner for today's class was a 10th grade girl, Alicia (I was the only senior in the room – most kids at Hollywood Arts do this class earlier but as a transfer student it was one of those that I still had to try to cram in before the end of the year). She spoke effusively about the show, having been in the audience for opening night, so much so that I had to cut her off because we really needed to get on with the make-up assignment and get it done before class finished. I felt kinda bad about it though so I suggested that if she wanted to talk about that side of school life a little more then we could do so at break. She agreed and we turned our attention to the task at hand, spending the rest of the hour trying to get the make-up look right.

I received the best score in the class, clearly something had sunk in, and I felt that this was something else that I could use to add to the overall experience when I got round to having to put on my own short play later in the semester. All in all it was with an extra spring in my step that I headed to Sikowitz's class.

Sikowitz used his class as an opportunity to go over the opening night performance: making it an unusually serious lesson. Reviewing an edited video of the play he praised many aspects of it, though he drew particular attention to a scene between Cat and Robbie. He called them to the raised stage at the front of his room and put them through the scene three times – each time he highlighted something different for them to work on. He then split the class into pairs (I was partnering Eli) and tasked us with performing the scene perfectly – trying to eliminate the minor issues Sikowitz had complained about.

It seemed rather unfair, to me anyway, that he focussed so much on the Carly and Robbie scene, I'm sure he could have found issues with far more of the play had he wanted to, but he seemed happy to just work on that scene for now. I could tell Robbie was aggrieved by this, while Cat's natural bounce and sparkle seemed more than a little diminished at what many of us felt was her and Robbie being perceived as the weak links of the cast. The atmosphere was decidedly uncomfortable throughout the remainder of the class. I did feel the exercise helped improve certain aspects of my own acting, though nothing that I'd particularly want to try to use for the role I was currently performing (not least because the next performance was tomorrow night). All in all it was a relieved class that filed out of his room for break, some mutinous mutterings emanating from many of us, who felt that Cat and Robbie had been unfairly maligned.

Much as I wanted to cheer Cat up, I had to meet Alicia, so I left my red-haired friend in the company of André, Beck and Jade (Rex was busy berating Robbie so we'd left 'them' to it for now). Alicia was sat alone at a different table in the Asphalt Café so I bade goodbye to my friends and headed over to join her.

We began by discussing the play, her opinion of some of the performances (she had no complaints about Robbie or Cat's acting) and some wider discussion of acting and singing, tips I could pass on from my own time and experience of being at school here but it turned out that what she _really _wanted to talk about was Freddie: she had been an iCarly fan for a long time, knew that we were a couple and wanted details on what happened regarding the show's demise, the girls' criticism of him, the current status of any friendship between him and them and, of course, what it was like to date him. I wasn't prepared to go into too many details with a girl I didn't know that well so I kept it simple, talked about how great Freddie was, how Carly and Sam had misrepresented a lot of what had happened to gloss over their own part in it and how all Freddie had really done to upset them was to get into UCLA.

After break I headed to my directing class. Talking about Freddie, however much I skirted around any sort of intimate details, brought thoughts of Saturday night back into the front of my mind, with all sorts of things racing through my head. I sat in a bit of a daze for the first few minutes of class until I was snapped out of my memories when the teacher informed me that, with the play having been performed, I now had no excuses for not starting to plan my own production. It was time to start thinking about subjects, scripts and everything else that I'd need. I decided that I would ask Freddie, to see if he had any ideas from his iCarly days that I could adapt into something that would do the job.

At lunch I finally got to talk to Cat about the events of this morning. She was still a little bit down, compared to her normal, ebullient self, but she was smiling at least. André and the others had managed to cheer her a little since Sikowitz's class and as I joined the usual crowd lunch table, turkey wrap in hand, the atmosphere was clearly more relaxed than it had been on leaving the unorthodox teacher's room.

Conversation was light and jovial. After they saw me head off at morning break I was asked about my "new friend" so I supplied such details as I had, that she was a classmate, that I was her partner in make-up class, that she wanted some tips on performing – and that she wanted the low-down on me and Freddie. Jade and I exchanged a subtle but meaningful look at this revelation.

"She asked the usual questions, what it's like to date a celebrity" I elaborated with a small laugh – Freddie was so down to earth that he never considered himself famous or a celebrity. "And she wanted the real story on the whole demise of iCarly, who was really to blame, what went down, stuff like that."

"How much did you tell her?" Jade asked, with an abruptness that caused all eyes to turn to her. There was no suggestion in her voice, nothing implicit that I could detect, just a very blunt question.

"The basics" I said, "I tried not to make anyone the villain, but I made sure that she knew _Freddie_ wasn't the bad guy in it all." I thought back to the offending video. My friends nodded, doubtless having the same thoughts, the look in Jade's eye suggesting we'd be having a conversation a little later.

The rest of lunch was spent with me catching up on _their_ discussion from break, what they'd said to Cat, and about Sikowitz, which was overwhelmingly negative. We were used to his "shock value pronouncements", but they felt, and I agreed, that he'd gone too far with his critique here.

The bell sounded and we began to make our way to class, until Jade, lagging behind, caught hold of my arm and, gently but firmly, pulled me back from the group.

"So" she began in a low whisper, "you didn't go into too many details with her then?"

"No way" I replied in kind. "I've only just met her." Then I smiled at her. "Despite the fact that you've hated the ground I've walked on ever since I arrived here; you're the only one I trust with this sort of stuff."

Jade smirked and raised an eyebrow.

"I'll remember to use that to my advantage" she said wickedly.

* * *

><p>At the end of the school day we had a rehearsal: we still had three performances to go (tomorrow, Thursday and Saturday's final show) so the teachers had decided to put on a rehearsal today. Unfortunately this meant a completely Freddie-free day for me as we would be quite late in finishing. Once we HAD finished (and everyone there noticed the lacklustre performances from Cat and Robbie: clearly the after-effects of Sikowitz's treatment were still being felt by the pair and this was something we needed to address before tomorrow night's next show) we headed to The Grove for a casual evening of hanging out.<p>

On reaching The Grove we ordered food (burgers, hot dogs, fries, that sort of stuff) and just relaxed as a group. Cat's spirits seemed to lift as the evening wore on and she was almost back to her usual self by the time we ended the evening and went our separate ways.

* * *

><p>I got back home and flopped on the couch next to my parents. We traded small talk about our days and the weekends we'd had (they had returned late last night from their weekend away). I gave a blow-by-blow account of the play and today's events at school but decided not to go into detail about Saturday night with Freddie, merely informing them that he'd been at opening night, we had met up afterwards and that we'd seen each other yesterday as well (hey I might have misled them a little but I didn't lie). The movie they were watching was about over so we stayed for the end of it and then I went to bed, missing Freddie and dreaming of being back in his arms.<p> 


	13. A Night at the Club

**AN: Thank you to all who have read and reviewed the story so far. I hope you enjoy this installment**

* * *

><p>"I'm coming to LA!" declared Carly during our latest video-chat. "I'm going to be there for Thanksgiving – I'm not going to leave you all alone for the holiday."<p>

"That's kind of you Carly," I smiled, "but I'm not going to be alone: my mom's flying down to spend the weekend here with me."

"Freddie, that's even worse than being alone" she argued. I could only laugh at this comment. Carly turned to her ever-present best friend, "What about you Sam? Do you fancy Thanksgiving in Los Angeles?"

"Are you paying my air fare?"

Tori and I laughed again as Carly rolled her eyes. We may be in college now but some things would clearly _never_ change.

It was Wednesday night – Tori had come to campus after school and we'd had a simple dinner and shot some pool before returning to my room. It was about time too, between rehearsals and performances I hadn't seen or spoken to her, even on video chat or a phone call, since Sunday and I was missing her. Not _like that_ (well, not just in that way) but I was used to seeing her and talking to her on a daily basis so it was a strange feeling to go a couple of days without her, especially in light of the weekend we'd shared. I had spent most of Sunday and yesterday burying myself in study, trying to fill the Tori-less nights with something productive. My heart really hadn't been in it too much, particularly yesterday, but I'd managed to get quite a bit of work done. Monday I had worked a shift, I had been able to swap for the shift I should have worked tonight, which was good as if left tonight free to spend with my girlfriend.

With Tori having another show tomorrow (along with school) and the last show on Saturday, it wouldn't be a late night, or a long one, but we took advantage of the opportunity just to enjoy each other's company, catch up on what had happened over the last couple of days in our lives (I was surprised and annoyed at the news of Cat and Robbie's bashing at the hands of Sikowitz) and be together in a relaxed environment.

So it was back to Cooperage for fast food and pool. A couple of the guys from my course were there so we had some company and I was able to talk a little shop while Tori was at the table. Nobody seemed to be as far on with their coursework as me, looks like they party a lot more than I do – or they just leave it all to the last minute. Whatever, if they were partying more I really didn't feel like I was missing out, I'd gone to the start of term one, there were a couple more slated for later in the term that I figured I'd try and get to, but I was happy hanging with my classmates, dormmates and, of course, my girl and her friends. Anyway, around 8 we left and headed to my room for a bit.

When we got there I logged on to my computer to find that Carly was been on-line (Sam too, of course – her being a permanent fixture at the Shay's home was another thing that looked like it would never change) and she quickly requested a video chat, presumably to break the news that she wanted to come and visit me at school over Thanksgiving. I had told her a week or so earlier that the proposed iCarly special would have to wait as I wouldn't be in Seattle for Thanksgiving – I guess she didn't want to wait much longer for it. Tori had slid next to me, squeezing onto my chair, arm curled around my midriff.

"What about Spencer – and your mom, Sam?" I asked. "Are they ok with you flying down for the weekend?"

"Hey my mom doesn't care" replied Sam, she attempted to sound nonchalant but I could detect that there was a hint of hurt in her voice.

"Spencer's going to Yakima to see our granddad" Carly supplied. "They'll be disappointed that I'm not going to be there, but it's been too long since I saw you, Freddie, so I'm coming to LA."

I smiled at her, though I could feel Tori's arm around my waist get just a little tighter at Carly's words. I like the idea of my girl having a possessive streak to her.

"So what are your plans Tori?" Carly asked my girlfriend, both Tori and I noticed the frown appear on Sam's face as Carly brought her into the conversation (Carly, looking at the webcam, was oblivious to the change in her best friend's expression).

"Well" she said, "usually we go to visit family but if you guys are coming down here then I'll talk mom and dad into letting me stay – my first Thanksgiving with Freddie and all that" she smiled and gave me an affectionate squeeze with her arm, causing Carly to smile and simper and Sam to scowl. I can't help but feel that Tori is sending an intentional message and signal to Sam here. "How about we all spend the evening at my place?" she suggested. "Do the iCarly special from there and you guys can all stay – your mom too," she glanced at me, "rather than getting a hotel."

"I'm sure she'll like that" I told her.

"Sounds good" echoed Carly and the plan was set. Tori would sweet-talk her folks and Carly, Sam and I would arrange some more chats over the next few days and weeks get the rest of the special episode planned. We said our goodnights and ended the chat.

"Is she really that bad?" Tori asked me as we stood. It would soon be time for her to head home. "Your mom" she elaborated at my confused look.

"Oh" I said, smiling. "Trust me, she's worse."

"Do I need to be worried?"

"It depends if she leaves her sprays and neuroses at home or not." I took in her slack-jawed expression and continued "I wish I was kidding but I'm really not. She bought stuff from _sprayyourchildren dot com_ – I have no idea what was in the spray but it was painful when she used it, especially as it was while I was stuck in bed recuperating after being hit by the truck."

"So my future mother-in-law is insane?" she asked. "I'm sorry" she said immediately after "she's your mom, I shouldn't say things like that about her."

"No, no, she's more than a little crazy" I assured her. "I have no idea how bad she's going to be having not seen me for four months."

"I can only imagine how she'll react when we both head to my room at the end of the night on Thanksgiving then" she said, a little wide-eyed.

I turned to her with a serious expression on my face and responded

"I don't care what she thinks about it. I love you – that's all that matters to me Tori" and then I wrapped my arms behind her neck, pulled her close and kissed her. She kissed back, arms similarly placed. We enjoyed each other's lips for a few minutes before I reluctantly pulled away. "Much as I'd love to carry on" I told her "if we do then I doubt you'll be at school on time tomorrow."

"I know" she complained. "My parents aren't going away any time soon, you have a roommate. Looks like we've got to keep it PG-13 for a while."

I kissed her again.

"You want to do something Friday night?" I asked her.

"Sure, any idea what?"

"Wok Star?" I suggested.

"We can't – it burnt down" she told me. Ok, maybe not then.

"Anywhere else we could go?"

"Oh I know!" she piped up. "The Gorilla Club!"

"The what?" _The WHAT?_

* * *

><p>How on earth did I let Tori talk me into spending my Friday night in this insane place? All sorts of wild and strange… "games" I suppose you would call them taking place. My eyes lingered on the bunny-shaped rodeo machine and I cast my mind back to the one that Spencer got from the junk yard and restored: the one we then used on Superintendent Gorman to get Ted Franklin his job as Ridgeway school principal back. I scanned the room and saw the bridge with swinging balls suspended above it. A brunette teenage girl was racing back and forth along it, collecting items to the cheers of her friends. Suddenly, though, her luck ran out and she took a ball to the side, sending her headlong onto the floor to heckles and shouts of "loser!"<p>

I winced at the sheer brutality of the place before a roar and a cheer diverted my attention to a cage in a cordoned-off area of the basement room. A guy in his late teens or early twenties, with shoulder-length blond hair, had stepped into the area and began attempting to scale the wall towards a giant banana. He was given a small head-start before the cage opened and a guy in a gorilla costume began chasing him. He swiftly caught the contestant and flung him to the ground – to more cheers and heckles from the watching audience. Tori's arm draped over my shoulder and she leaned in close to ask me

"So, what do you want to try first babe?"

My eyes widened and I took a deep breath.

"Saddle up Vega, it's rodeo time!"

* * *

><p>One signed waiver later and I lasted precisely seven seconds – Tori rubbed it in by noting that Cat had managed well over a minute before the club staff ordered her off it to give someone else a go. I fared better on the "Balls of Pain" bridge run, the agility and speed I developed from my fencing helping me to dodge the boulders and complete the challenge within the time limit. A few high-fives from various random strangers and a celebratory kiss from Tori later there was only one thing left for me to say:<p>

"Bring on the Gorilla!" to wild cheers and applause.

"Careful Freddie" Tori whispered, "I was left in a pretty bad way after my tussle with the Gorilla."

I gave her a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry baby, I'll be fine" I told her.

I crossed the barrier and began my ascent. My upper body strength was pretty good post-rehab and working out – something, I realised, I needed and wanted to get back into at one of the various campus gyms. I got my hand to the giant banana prize just before I felt a tug on my right leg as the 'gorilla' began to catch me. I tried to shrug him off and move laterally in order to begin my descent but he held firm and pushed off from the wall, transferring all his weight onto me. I quickly tensed my arms and braced my foot to keep my leg steady while the gorilla flayed below.

Suddenly his grip must have slipped as his weight left my leg. I chanced a look down and sure enough he was struggling to stay on the wall a couple of feet below me. I seized the chance and climbed several feet to my left, out of his reach before quickly clambering back down to the ground to take the applause and acclaim of the watching throng.

I lobbed the banana to the gorilla, now also back on terra firma, leapt the barrier into my girlfriend's waiting arms and kissed her again.

"We gotta do this again sometime!" I told her.


	14. Last Night of the Show

_The Slap Mobile  
><em>

_Tori Vega: All set for closing night of our show._

_Mood: Melancholic._

* * *

><p>The audience applauded wildly as we took our final bow at the end of the last performance in the run. The curtain came down for the last time and I gave a huge embrace to each of my co-stars: Beck, Jade, Cat, Robbie… André bounced down from the gantry to join the group hugs and bonding. One person was sadly absent – Freddie had been asked to do a double shift at work so he had been unable to attend. He had, of course, already seen us perform last week but I would have loved for him to be in the auditorium again: just knowing he was around always raises my spirits.<p>

Mom and dad WERE in attendance, having missed opening night due to their weekend away and they had been busy at work during the week for the other shows. Trina was also there and the three of them came behind the curtain as we were leaving the stage.

"Sweetie, we're taking you out for a congratulatory dinner!" Dad announced. Awesome.

"You wanna invite _Freddie_?" asked Trina, emphasising my guy's name. I looked to my parents to gauge their reaction to her question. Neither looked scandalised at the thought so I asked

"Can I?"

"Sure" said mom, "we'll swing by campus and pick him up on the way."

I called him, he was just leaving work, and he happily accepted the invitation. I headed backstage to shower and change then met up with the rest of the Vega clan.

I directed my dad to Freddie's dorm on the UCLA campus. He was waiting in the doorway, complete with his gorgeous, boyish smile, and walked to the car, getting in as I scooted to the middle of the back seat. He greeted me with a peck on the cheek and said a polite, if slightly nervous, hello to my parents and a more jovial one to Trina.

His nervousness surprised me slightly: he's met my parents a couple of times before after all, though I guess dating (and sleeping with) a cop's teenage daughter can cause any boy to be a little unnerved by what his reaction might be.

We travelled the short distance to BLVD 16 and were soon seated (my dad had had the foresight to call ahead and make a reservation while I was getting ready). We ordered, ate, drank and chit-chatted then, after we ordered dessert, dad turned to Freddie.

"So" he began, "Tori tells me you're staying in LA for Thanksgiving."

"Yes sir" he confirmed "I have to work on Black Friday so I can't go back north for the weekend. My mom's flying down though."

"Along with Carly and Sam?" dad prompted. Freddie nodded in response.

"Yeah, we're doing an iCarly special that night" he explained.

"How do you feel about that?" asked Trina curiously. "You know, seeing them again after… everything."

All eyes turned to Freddie at my sister's question. He hesitated for a couple of seconds before responding

"I'm looking forward to doing the show with them. After what they broadcast when the show ended, it's going to be nice to have the record set straight. And…" he paused momentarily before continuing "it'll be nice to see them again. We've chatted on-line a bit but to actually see them and do the show with them, well it's been too long since that happened. Apart from Graduation Day I've not really spent any time with them since I got accepted to UCLA. After being almost inseparable from them for four years that was a huge change."

"You miss them, even after everything that happened?" mom asked, surprised.

"I do, yes" he conceded thoughtfully. "We were around each other for so long it became normal to be with them – then suddenly they weren't around. How they reacted to me getting into school here and then later seeing what they put on-line hurt, obviously, but didn't just wipe away the memories. No, it's going to be nice to see them in person again."

We finished our meal, dad paid the check (refusing Freddie's attempt to pay his share) and we left the restaurant.

"What are your plans kids?" mom asked Freddie and me. "Is Freddie coming home with us or are we taking him back to campus?"

My boyfriend and I looked at one another, communicating non-verbally. I gave him my best smile, willing him to not want the night to end just yet.

"Uh sure" he said, "I can go back to yours if that's ok Mrs Vega. Tori can take me home later."

Mom smiled and we got in the car for the drive home. We spent the ride in comfortable silence, Freddie's hand was on my thigh, mine on top of it, our fingers interlaced. There seemed a hint of a jealous look on Trina's face whenever she turned her attention to us but I was more focussed on the boy to my other side. I leaned over to give him a swift peck on the cheek, then caught sight of dad rolling his eyes slightly in the rear-view mirror. I flashed my dad a quick smile and he returned it.

As soon as we stepped through the door Trina turned the TV on, some trashy soap that she likes was having an all-day and night marathon. I had no interest in watching it so I took Freddie's hand again and started leading him upstairs.

"If you're going to your room, leave the door open" mom called after us.

"And remember" dad was looking directly at Freddie as we'd turned to them at mom's words "I'm a cop."

"Yes sir" Freddie nodded, not quite smiling, and we continued our journey to my room.

* * *

><p>"Sorry about them" I said as we sat on my bed.<p>

"Hey" he smiled, "don't worry about it. You're their little girl, they want to protect you, make sure no-one takes advantage of you. And believe me, they're calm and rational compared to what my mom would have been like if we'd walked into our place at Bushwell Plaza."

"I can't wait to meet her on Thanksgiving" I declared, with just a hint of trepidation in my voice.

Freddie laughed.

"You'll be fine" he told me.

"Promise?" I asked.

"Promise" he said and sealed it with a kiss.

I leaned into his shoulders as we kissed, pushing him gently onto his back and positioning myself on top of him. My bedroom door was still open, my parents were downstairs so this was as good as it would get tonight and I was determined to enjoy every last bit of it that I could. Judging by the passion and energy in his kisses, strong but not too forceful, so too was Freddie.

"Are they letting you stay here for Thanksgiving?" he asked me when we paused for breath. I nodded.

"Yes, they were a little unsure about leaving the two of us alone but with your mom, Carly and Sam they reckon it should be ok."

I grinned mischievously, Freddie matched my look. The thought of a weekend without my parents was appealing. There would be Mrs Benson to worry about but Freddie didn't seem overly concerned (not least because he no longer lives at home).

We talked a bit more – and made out a lot more: mindful of the open door and the cop downstairs Freddie kept his cool, eventually turning us onto our sides and retreating to an arm's length away as things threatened to go too far. I took a steadying breath before wriggling closer and back into his arms, he slid a few inches up my bed, cuddling me and resting his chin on top of my head. Moments later mom looked in and suggested that it was time for me to take Freddie home. I groaned but struggled off the bed, took Freddie's hand and pulled him up. Mom was smiling as I led him out of my room and downstairs, Freddie wishing her goodnight as he passed. We said our goodnights to Trina and dad before leaving the house, getting in my car and driving to UCLA. I parked up at his dorm before leaning over to kiss him again.

"Want to come in for a bit?" he asked.

"Yes" I replied without hesitating and we entered his dorm. It was deserted (it was Saturday night after all) so we walked into his room and flopped on his bed.

"We've been here before" he teased before planting a quick kiss on my nose.

"You want company for the night?" I asked in my most seductive voice.

"Yes" he said, "but if you're not home in an hour your dad will probably send a SWAT team here."

I groaned in agreement and got up.

"See you tomorrow?" I asked.

"I'll be here" he replied, "text or something when you want to come over."

One more lingering kiss and I made my reluctant exit.


	15. Thanksgiving

**AN: As always thank you to all who have read, and especially to those who have reviewed. SirRay, yes Mr Vega is a cop, he has said so a few times on the show (twice during **_**Freak the Freak Out**_** and also in **_**The Birthweek Song**_** and the extended version of the pilot).**

* * *

><p><em>The Slap Mobile<em>

_Tori Vega: Getting ready to meet the boyfriend's mom_

_Mood: Thankful_

* * *

><p>Thanksgiving morning saw Tori and I heading to the airport early. Trina and her parents were catching a morning flight for their trip to see family, we'd then have an hour or so to wait before the inbound flight from Seattle arrived bringing mom, Carly and Sam to my new home. My nerves were evident to Tori as we waited for the flight – it would after all be the first time I'd seen Carly and Sam in person since I left after graduation, since I found out about their critical video of me. We had papered over the cracks in our relationship since then through e-mails and video-chats but this weekend could well make or break anything that we might have in the future.<p>

Finally the announcement was made that the flight inbound from Seattle had landed and we made our way to the waiting area just outside security and the baggage claim area. A few people walked by before my eyes were drawn to the group of three walking towards us. Carly dropped her bags and ran towards us, a massive smile lighting up her face; she leapt into my arms for a huge hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"I missed you" she whispered softly.

I handed her off to Tori and she smiled nervously at my girlfriend before hearing the "usual"

"C'mon, give Tori a squeeze" and stepping in for a hug.

Sam walked up to me, a slight scowl on her face from having to pick up Carly's bags after she abandoned them to say hello to me. She set them down and I smiled before pulling her into a slightly awkward hug before she shared a similarly tense one with Tori, her body language suggesting she didn't want to be around my girl. Finally I turned to mom, bringing up the rear, and gave her a huge hug and kiss, rolling my eyes slightly as she began gushing about how much she'd missed "her baby" over the last few months. Her attention then turned to the tall brunette at my side.

"Mom," I began, "I know you guys met briefly when I moved down here to begin with, but this Tori, my _girlfriend_." Mom nodded, she knew after all, I had told her during one of our many phone conversations over the months that I had been here, but it was still a different scenario, introducing them in their new capacity as girlfriend and boyfriend's mother, particularly as they'd had little to no interaction during the short period mom had been here over the summer.

Tori greeted her cordially, welcoming her back to Los Angeles, while mom smiled and said a civil hello.

* * *

><p>We took our guests to Tori's house to relieve them of their luggage, pointing out the UCLA campus as we passed nearby. On reaching the Vegas' place we showed mom to the guest room and Carly and Sam to Trina's, which they'd be sharing: I didn't ask Tori if she'd cleared it with Trina and she didn't tell me; plausible deniability is a wonderful thing. The guests headed to the rooms while Tori put the turkey in the oven and I began other preparations for our Thanksgiving dinner. Once everyone had unpacked we sat together as a group in the living room and enjoyed a glass of Tori's pink lemonade (which drew comparisons with Carly's Special Lemonade) before we headed out for a spot of sight-seeing.<p>

"So," Carly piped up as we headed for UCLA, our first stop on the 'tour', "will we be seeing any of the Hollywood Arts guys this weekend?"

"Saturday" Tori told her. "They're busy with family stuff today, Freddie's at work all day tomorrow, so we're going to get together and all hang on Saturday."

"Cool, it'll be good to see André, Cat and the others again."

Arriving at UCLA we found the campus to be all but deserted. We showed our visitors my dorm and some of my favourite haunts – Cooperage, the Terrence Food Court and Kerckhoff, though most of the places were shut for the holiday. I called in at work, my colleagues were thrilled to meet Carly and Sam, many of them having grown up with iCarly, some even seemed a little star-struck (as they had when I first started there). We concluded our little tour before moving on to Rustic Canyon Park for a view of some of the impressive scenery just outside the city, along with some of the impressive – and expensive – architecture springing up in this area of my new home.

After a pleasant few hours we returned to Tori's mid-afternoon for dinner and began making final preparations for the show this evening.

* * *

><p>"I'm Carly!"<p>

"And I'm Sam!"

"And this" the girls declared together, "is a very special Thanksgiving episode of _iCarly_!" Sam sounded the old remote and the familiar canned cheering filled the Vegas' living room.

I was behind the camera with Tori at my side; mom was sat in the kitchen area trying to keep out of the way.

"And for this special" Carly told the viewers, "we have a super special guest. Back with us, the original…"

"… And the best…" interjected Sam, slightly to my surprise. She really WAS on her best behaviour tonight.

"… Tech Producer EVER" finished Carly.

"FREDDIE BENSON!" the girls roared in unison.

"Get out here, Fredward" Sam told me, pressing the cheer button again. I handed the camera to Tori and reunited the original iCarly gang in front of the camera, stood in the middle as both girls threw an arm around my waist. I did likewise to them.

"Hello people of earth and beyond." I supplied the old greeting, much to Carly's amusement.

Sam pressed the remote again, silencing the cheers and music. She and Carly both took deep, steadying breaths.

"Those of you who saw iCarly after Freddie left the show" Carly began, "will probably remember that some things were said, by Sam and me, that really shouldn't have been. We blamed Freddie for the demise of the show – and that really wasn't fair. We threw some awful insults at him…"

"One of mama's favourite hobbies" Sam leaned in and interjected, earning a reproachful look from Carly. "Kinda kidding" she muttered. I smiled in spite of myself.

"So we – both of us" Carly continued, "want to take this opportunity to apologise publically to Freddie for everything that we said. We were angry, we were upset, but mostly – we were wrong" she finished.

"Sorry Freddo" Sam supplied. I smiled and nodded my head.

"Thanks girls" I said quietly and gave both a small squeeze.

"Ok, now that the serious stuff is out of the way" Sam said, breaking the slightly awkward atmosphere and slipping out of my arm, "because this is a special show we have a special section tonight." She pressed the cheer button again. I cast nervous glances to Tori, who returned it, and to Carly, who gave me a supportive smile and a gentle squeeze. "You've all seen the video gone viral of our very own Freddie singing karaoke" _oh no_

"And if you haven't, here it is" added Carly. "Playback" and Sam pressed the appropriate button on the remote. The live feed cut out and a video began on the laptop, streaming on the iCarly site, of my performance at Karaoke Dokie. The girls left me squirming for a few seconds before switching back to the live feed. Tori pointed the camera at us again.

"So here it is" said Sam and pressed yet another button on the remote. Immediately the jingle started

"_Hey, hey, hey, hey, what was Freddie thinking?"_

"Great question – so what _were_ you thinking when you did that Freddie?" asked Carly with a tone of playful curiosity.

"My friends paid me seventy bucks" I told them simply.

Sam looked from me to the camera before leaning in to it and saying seriously,

"I hear you."

I tried to suppress a sigh of relief and shot Tori, still behind the camera, something of a grin – if that was Sam's big idea that she was keeping under wraps then it could have been a lot worse.

"Ok" said Carly, smiling broadly at the camera, "there's one more person to introduce on this special show. An old friend of iCarly, LA native and our host for the evening: Tori Vega!"

Again Sam pressed the cheer button, though I thought I could detect the faintest hint of reluctance as she did so. Tori set the camera down on my tripod and bounced over to join us, planting a gentle kiss on my lips and wrapping me in her arms while she turned to the camera.

"As you can see" Carly continued, "Tori is Freddie's girlfriend…"

"Way to upset both the Creddie AND Seddie fanbases there girl" Sam observed dryly.

"Well, neither of them is going to get their 'ship' now" she declared, perhaps a little too forcefully and definitely casting a meaningful look at Sam.

"Which brings us to our _next_ new section" Sam continued, unperturbed but not quite managing to convey a truly playful voice. "What is Tori thinking?" She was smiling but the smile seemed to stop short of her eyes. Tori narrowed her own eyes slightly and looked at the blonde, tightening her grip on me slightly as she did. She half-smiled and told Sam

"I'm thinking that I'm dating the most amazing guy on the planet," she began, "and I'm thinking that you two are idiots because you _both_ let him go." Then she turned to the camera with more of a smile and concluded "You asked, I answered." Her voice was light but there was an undertone that left no doubt as to how serious her answer was – and that our relationship was no joking matter to her.

There were a few seconds of rather awkward silence as the co-hosts exchanged glances; Sam determined to look anywhere but at Tori and I. I smiled slightly as I remembered the warning I'd given Andy some weeks earlier – Piss Tori Vega off at your peril.

"Ok" said Carly, forcing a smile and finally breaking the suddenly tense and uncomfortable atmosphere, "on with our next segment."

* * *

><p>Despite the slightly frosty atmosphere the show continued without too much overt animosity coming through. A bout of Random Dancing broke out (mom declined to join in – probably for the best though it <em>would<em> have been very funny) and the show wrapped up with Tori singing _Make It Shine_, giving the audience a glimpse of her extraordinary talent. Carly signed off the show, wished the viewers a happy Thanksgiving and said that we hoped to be back with another couple of shows over Christmas.

"And we are CLEAR" I declared before setting the camera down and high-fiving with Carly and Sam. "Great show you guys" I told them before giving my girl a kiss. "You were amazing" I told her. She gave me an embarrassed grin.

"You really were, Tori" Carly backed me up enthusiastically, "you're voice is fantastic."

"Thanks Carly" she replied. Sam, meanwhile, had made her way to the kitchen and was bemoaning a lack of ham in the Vegas' fridge (seriosuly Sam, we had a big dinner an hour or so ago!). It was clear that she had nothing to say to Tori. Meanwhile Tori produced more pink lemonade and we retired to the living room couch, mom joining us now, and the five of us spent the rest of the evening in front of the TV talking about everything and nothing, the girls clearly unwilling to discuss the elephant in the room, though Tori continued to earn us filthy glances from Sam – and some rather reproachful looks from my mom – with plenty of kissing, cuddling and flirting while we were sat there. Carly was reprising her role as peace-maker, occasionally whispering to Sam when her gaze began to narrow too much.

Eventually, shortly after 11 p.m., my mom decided to call it a night. Carly decided this was a good opportunity to remove Sam from the equations and the two girls headed off to Trina's room so we decided to call it a night as well, further blackening Sam's features as Tori took my hand and we made our way clearly to the same bedroom. Any comment, though, was curtailed by Carly wishing us "goodnight", which we returned, before dragging Sam quickly away.

Tori pulled me quickly into her room, quickly closed and locked the door before moving in for a long, luxurious and passionate kiss.

"Finally" she groaned, leaning back against the door, a gleam of lust and desire in her eyes. "It's been too long babe."

I could only agree as I stepped back into her embrace and returned my lips to hers.


	16. Something for the Weekend

**AN: Hello everyone and welcome to the next chapter of this story. SirRay, little is known about Mr Vega as he doesn't get much screen time to say one way or the other about how he is or will be treated.**

* * *

><p>Friday morning was a rather frosty affair. Freddie and I had an early breakfast before our guests got up. I drove him into the city to work and returned home just as his mom got up: she was unaware of the sleeping arrangements, Carly and Sam were not and Sam, once she'd surfaced, made several veiled references that made her feelings abundantly clear: I really didn't care that she was very annoyed, I just looked evenly at her while she shot her snide comments; until Marissa was out of earshot, at which point I leaned across the table and told her<p>

"He's with me: deal with it" which shut her up, particularly with Carly urging her to drop it.

Freddie's mom returned and I asked brightly

"So, what do you guys want to do today while Freddie's at work?" They had no real ideas so I just took them downtown to The Citadel Factory Outlet mall. Unsurprisingly, it being Black Friday, they were busy. We quickly ditched Marissa when she went to browse a couple of stores, the lure of the Food Court proved too much for Sam which left Carly and I together. She proved to be extremely pleasant company, especially when she suddenly declared

"I'm thrilled for you both!" before enveloping me in a hug. "Freddie is such a great guy. I wish, and I told him this before, that I could have thought of him as more than a friend, but I never did. I told him that I knew there was a great girl waiting for him out there somewhere and I'm so, so glad it's you Tori. You two make such a cute and awesome couple."

"Thanks Carly" I said, warmly and sincerely, "he really is great and has been so good to me."

"Yeah and don't worry about Sam; she'll mellow eventually" she continued doubtfully. I shrugged.

"I really don't care: as I said last night she had her chance and blew it, I'm not going to make the same mistake." The last comment drew a warm, albeit slightly wry, smile from Carly.

"Make sure you don't."

The two of us spent a cheerful half-hour or so together just trawling the stores until Sam texted Carly and came to find us. She was still icy, I was still ambivalent; I genuinely could not care less that she has a problem with Freddie and me being a couple. Carly made conversation between us as we continued to walk around the mall. Eventually we caught up with Marissa, now laden with bags. It was approaching lunchtime so the four of us hit the Food Court (amazingly Sam was ready for another meal already) and afterwards I took them to Hollywood Arts to see my school. The building itself was, of course, mostly shut for Thanksgiving but I was able to show off the campus, look in a few windows to see the classrooms, show them the Asphalt café and regale them with some of the stories from my career here to date. We stayed on campus until Freddie's shift ended, collected him and went back home, where he and I made a start on dinner – reheated left-over turkey, some potatoes and vegetables – while we listened to Freddie's tales of his hectic day at work.

"We didn't stop all day" he noted "management will be happy but we were all exhausted by the end of the day. It was fun in a way though, that kind of day really brings a team together; in a strange way we all enjoyed it."

Due to Freddie's fatigue we settled for a quiet night in, making plans to have a night out tomorrow before they headed home on the Sunday. So we simply watched a little TV and talked for a while before Freddie, pleading exhaustion, headed to my room. Under his mother's watchful eye I stayed a few minutes longer before deciding to turn in, bidding my guests goodnight.

"I thought you'd never show up" Freddie joked as I slipped into my room.

"I'm here now" I said, climbing on top of my bed and into his arms.

* * *

><p>Saturday morning saw me wake up the best way I know how – in Freddie's arms. His eyes were shut so I assumed he was still asleep, but I couldn't resist leaning in to give him a peck on the lips. A smile began to grow on his face so I went in for a repeat. His eyes slowly opened as I pulled back, his smile broadened and he leaned in to plant a slow, luxurious kiss on my own.<p>

"Good morning" I said when he eventually freed my lips.

"Hey" he returned. I leaned in for another soft kiss.

"Much as this is a great way to spend the morning" he began after we pulled apart, "we're meeting your friends in a couple of hours and we need to have breakfast and get ready."

"I know" I grumbled.

Freddie groaned, wriggled out of bed, grabbed some clothes and headed for a shower. I slipped on a robe, grabbed some underwear, jeans and a T-shirt and snuck into my parents' en-suite to take my own shower (figuring if I joined Freddie in mine then we'd definitely be late meeting the HA gang).

I returned to my room dressed and ready for the day to find Freddie laid on my bed reading. He was dressed in one of his shirts on over a white undershirt and dark blue jeans. As I stepped into the room he looked up from his magazine at me.

"Ready?" he asked, climbing off the bed and closing the distance between us.

"Yep" I confirmed, seizing his hand and we headed down to the kitchen.

Entering the living area we saw that Marissa was already up and sat at the table. She quickly hid an expression of shock at seeing us surface together, replacing it with one that screamed disapproval. She turned her back on us and walked to the coffee maker, looking over her shoulder to us offering us a drink. I decided it safest to accept without further comment. Marissa poured two cups and set them down on the table where we were sat. Her expression now was more impassive, a hint of a forced smile trying to break through. Before any words could be exchanged, however, Carly bounced into the room followed by a groggy and reluctant Sam.

"Morning girls" Freddie greeted them with a smile. I smiled at them and raised my coffee cup in greeting.

"Hey everyone" said Carly brightly. Sam simply grunted. Marissa, seemingly reluctantly, rose again and poured two more cups of coffee for the new arrivals. "Mmm" Carly continued, taking her first sip of the brew, "much better than the stuff Spencer gives me on a morning."

Breakfast was a little less frosty today, though neither Sam nor Marissa looked too happy. Carly, meanwhile, was positively beaming at us throughout. Several times Freddie looked over at her smile and this widened his own grin.

Once we'd finished our meal we set out to meet my friends at the local Jet Brew. The Seattle girls complained that we should go to Skybucks instead but I explained that Jade prefers this franchise – and we _all_ know better than to argue with Jade about her coffee.

"This may be disloyal of me to a Seattle company" Freddie piped up, "but I prefer Jet Brew too now" which earned him howls of derision from the others.

On reaching the café we placed our orders and collected them. As we set up camp at one of the larger tables Beck and Jade showed up. Beck said a quick hi before heading to the counter, Jade took a seat giving a cool but cordial greeting to Carly and Sam and a slightly warmer one for Marissa. As Beck returned with their drinks and took a seat next to his girlfriend, André, Cat and Robbie (with Rex, of course) arrived and joined the group. They were more effusive with their greetings to our visitors than Jade had been, taking genuine interest in how they were. Carly talked openly to them, Sam was rather more guarded and continued to cast her eye towards Freddie and me while the conversation progressed (something not lost on Jade, who also shot me glances whenever she caught Sam looking at us).

Having drained our coffees we talked some more, Freddie and I tried our best to keep his mom in the conversation and make sure she didn't feel left out among our discussions. She was a little curt, likely still remembering the scene from this morning, but seemed appreciative of our efforts.

* * *

><p>On leaving Jet Brew we travelled around LA for the morning, seeing some of the sights of the city; starting with a DUCK tour: great fun and something that, as a native, I wouldn't necessarily have thought of doing. Out of that we came up with a handful of other locations people wanted to see: the famous Hollywood sign, Bradbury building, Bunker Hill park. As Marissa didn't want to go to Bunker Hill, but Carly and Sam did, Beck offered to take her (with Freddie and Jade tagging along) to the Public Library and we met up later with them in the Fashion District before going our separate ways. Freddie, Carly, Sam, Marissa and I went home, had the last of the Thanksgiving turkey before making plans for the evening. We decided to take the girls to Karaoke Dokie (Marissa decided to stay home but Sam was eager to see the scene of Freddie's 'triumph', Carly was eager to sing and I signed Freddie and I up for a duet of "Hate Me, Love Me". Carly wowed the crowd with a rendition of "Shakespeare", not too surprising really; Freddie told me that she had originally sung it at a wedding before the song's writer had had it professionally produced, recorded and released. Meanwhile Sam was busily eating her way through a couple of plates of Buffalo nuggets – and still glowering whenever she looked at Freddie and me, particularly during our song. It's probably wrong of me but her attitude just makes me want to give Freddie even more PDAs than usual – more frequent AND more affectionate. Looking at the two girls the contrast between Sam being all frowny and Carly being all gooey could scarcely be greater. We listened to a few more people sing, shared a little more food, then headed home in good time to make sure the girls could pack and be ready for their flight back to Seattle in the morning.<p>

That night in bed I was cuddling my brown-eyed boy, enjoying the after-glow, when I decided that Sam's attitude had to be broached: so long as Freddie could call Seattle home and so long as he and Carly (or for that matter Carly and I) were friends, Sam would be in the picture and, as fun as watching her reaction was, it could make life difficult going forward.

"What's going on with Sam?" I asked him. "Does she still love you? Why else would she react the way she does to seeing you and me together?"

"I don't think you ever know what's really going through her head" he said slowly before sniggering "other than 'I want food' of course." He pulled me closer, kissed my forehead then continued, while trailing his right hand over my midriff absent-mindedly, "You know the argument over me deciding to come here." I nodded as he continued talking "After graduation we talked, cleared the air a little, though looking back she came as close as she ever will to admitting – to me or herself – that she was hasty in breaking up with me. And, looking at her other boyfriends over the years I've known her, maybe you touched a nerve with what you said on the show: she's never done better. Perhaps she sees what we have and thinks it should be her, not you; maybe regretting the choices she made that led to it _being_ you and not her."

"So in another universe you're laid next to her at this moment?" I asked with a hint of fear about what he may be getting at. He sighed.

"I don't know Tori. I feel more for you than I ever did for Sam, so would we ever have got this far? I can't answer that. If we'd never broken up would I have applied to and gone to UCLA? I can't say that either." He looked at me, saw the fear on my face and stared deep into my eyes before continuing "All I _can_ say is that I love you Tori Vega and I wouldn't change a thing if it meant going to another of those universes where I'm not with you right here and right now" before kissing me with a passion and an intensity that I've scarcely felt from him before.

"I love you Freddie Benson" I responded, "more than words can say."

He smirked.

"So let's say it _without_ words."

I smiled in acquiescence as he shifted his weight and rolled me onto my back.

* * *

><p>We woke early on the Sunday, ate a final breakfast with the Seattle girls and made our way through the light Sunday morning traffic to Los Angeles Airport, parked the car and got our guests to check-in.<p>

Their flight was called, boarding was beginning so we said our farewells, Carly giving both of us a huge hug, Sam a rather less enthusiastic one and Marissa somewhere between the two for me. She hugged and kissed her son then, with the girls out of earshot and heading through the departure gate (likely hoping to land seats somewhere they could be apart from Mrs Benson); she looked my boyfriend in the eye and asked him

"Fredward, where did you sleep this weekend?"

Freddie took a deep breath.


	17. Hang with the gang

**AN: Ok so **_**Driving Tori Crazy**_** told us that Tori can't actually drive. Well in this story she can (and I don't think it was too unreasonable an assumption for me to make – that she could drive – given that her parents bought her a car in **_**Locked Up**_** as a "reward" for taking Trina with her to Yerba.**

* * *

><p>"Well that was awkward" I said as Tori started her car to drive us away from LA International Airport.<p>

"Your mom had to find out sometime" she responded reasonably.

"Does your dad have to?" I challenged gently.

"It's probably best that it takes him a while" she conceded. "So, will she still be upset about this at Christmas?"

I snorted out a laugh. "She'll still be upset at my graduation." I told her. "If we go up over Christmas", which we both want to – for a few days at least, "she'll make a thing of it. With our Guest Room occupied – you know about T-Bo, right?" she nodded "you'll get my room, I'll be on the couch and she'll probably have installed a new security system for my room to make sure we both stay where we're supposed to be."

I saw my girlfriend give a wry smile before adding brightly "At least Carly was happy for us."

"Yes, it was really nice to see her again and catch up with her. I'm glad that after everything that's happened over the last year that we can be good friends – and for real now. Sam… well, we'll see whether she comes around before my mom does!"

Tori laughed briefly before asking seriously "Is she going to be a problem? While you – or we – are in Seattle?"

"No" I stressed vehemently, "because like you said: she had her chance, and like I said: I love _you_ Tori. I'm ecstatically happy with you so Sam can accept it, she can complain or she can sulk; but it's not going to change anything between you and me."

She shot me a quick, radiant smile before turning her full attention back to the road and saying "Good to know."

* * *

><p>We had plans to hang with Tori's HA friends again today and they all arrived at her place shortly after we got back there. The second she was through the door Jade got to the point, commenting to me<p>

"Sam does _not_ like you two being a couple, does she?"

I knew the girl was direct but to be _quite _so blunt was a little surprising. It must have shown on my face as Tori began giggling as she looked at me.

"Jade doesn't believe in wasting time – or words" she laughed, smiling at her Gothic friend, who smirked back before returning her gaze to me.

"What Sam does or doesn't want is irrelevant" I told her tersely. "There's only two people's opinions that matter: mine and hers" I gestured to my girl then amended a moment later with a half-smile "Well, and her dad because he could set half of LAPD on me!"

Jade grinned knowingly and shot a conspiratorial glance at Tori, though she did, I noticed, glance uneasily at me a few times over the next couple of minutes as André turned the conversation to the new song that his label had commissioned him to write. When Jade headed to the kitchen for a refill of her coffee I decided to follow her.

"I'm not pissed at you, you know" I said quietly. She turned to look at me. "It's just that Sam and her attitude is a bit of a touchy subject at the moment."

"I get it" she replied, nodding. Then she sighed and continued. "Sometimes I just need to think before I speak… and I'm glad that things are going so well for you two."

"Thanks" I said, giving her a genuine smile – which she returned, and we made our way back to the couches, sliding next to our respective other-halves. I slipped an arm around Tori's shoulders and, in response to her quizzical glance, whispered "We're good."

Having missed part of the conversation I apologised to André and asked about his song. He explained that the music part was ok; he had a bit of a tune in his head but no lyrics yet. Robbie's offer of help was immediately and vociferously shot down by the entire group ("You don't want to know" my girlfriend whispered). We encouraged André to play his tune thus far and Cat surprised me by bursting into song: wow that girl has an amazing voice. Looking at her friends I wasn't the only one surprised by the moving lyrics she came out with.

"Whoa Little Red!" declared André "Where did _that_ come from?"

She gave him a confused look before saying

"From my mouth" as if it was the most stupid question ever asked. We all exchanged looks but declined to comment.

Fortunately Robbie had recorded Cat's exploits on his Pearpad so André got busy writing, using her words as a guide and starting point. He was absent from most of the conversation for the next hour, while his friends discussed their classes and any performances they had to give before the end of term (nothing major but a couple of graded works). I was asked for, and gave, an update on my own studies before I asked about the events of yesterday.

"What did you guys get up to when Carly and Sam were here? Did they have much to say to you all?"

"Carly was really nice but Sam complained a lot" Cat piped up.

"Complained?" André looked up briefly from his song. "She was meaner than Jade!"

"Looks like I have to try harder if she'd outdoing me" the raven-haired beauty smirked, earning her a look from her boyfriend. She simply grinned malevolently back at him.

"Just don't be mean to my girl" I laughed.

"Spoil all my fun" she grumbled before flashing a sly grin at Tori. The two really have become much better friends in recent months: Tori mentioned that she can scarcely believe the way their relationship has transformed since my arrival – or to be more precise since Jade stopped viewing Tori as a potential rival for Beck's affections when the two of us got together.

* * *

><p>It was around midday by now so we decided as a group to head out for lunch at a local mall food court. Tori and I tried the Cajun stand, Beck and Jade hit the Chinese while Cat, Robbie and André opted for Mexican, but we sat together and everyone pretty much sampled everything (despite the ever-present threat of Jade's fork if too much of her meal disappeared). Beck and Jade headed off for some alone-time afterwards with the rest of us opting to walk around the mall. This was mostly for my benefit: Tori had, of course, brought mom, Carly and Sam there on Friday. We spent a couple of hours browsing the various stores, though I did buy a couple of new books (despite my justified reputation as a tech nerd I really don't like e-readers, I prefer a proper book) before Tori and I said goodbye to our friends as we had to return to the airport and meet the rest of the Vegas from their flight.<p>

Their flight was slightly delayed, giving us a few more minutes of "privacy" (as we were sat waiting in a public area by the gate for them to arrive and disembark), just to cuddle, trade a few soft, chaste kisses (oblivious to any looks we may be receiving from other waiting people). A few minutes later we saw their plane taxi to the gate and shortly afterwards Tori's family emerged to greet her. On the walks to Baggage Claim and to her car we fielded the expected questions: how our weekend had been, how Sam, Carly and my mom were, how had they liked LA, what had we been doing (we stuck to details of the daytime activities of the weekend), I chipped in with a couple of tales of Black Friday at work and we concluded the story-telling with today's events just as Tori pulled the car into a parking bay near my dorm.

With regret I got out of the car, Tori did likewise and we kissed goodbye. After the weekend we'd just shared it would be back to video chats, arranging evenings to spend together and keeping stuff PG-13, things neither of us were particularly looking forward to.

"Only a few weeks until Christmas break babe" I whispered.

"I can't wait" she responded. "Speak to you tomorrow?"

"I'll be on-line" I told her with a smile.

One more kiss and she got back into her car. With a wave she was gone and I walked back to my dorm to prepare for the week ahead.


	18. Tori's Trina Troubles

**AN: Hello readers. I hope you enjoy the latest chapter of this story.**

* * *

><p>I couldn't believe where the months had gone; suddenly we're only a week away from the Christmas holidays and the end of my first term as a college student. I reflected on the way my life had changed since arriving in Los Angeles. There was my relationship with Tori and how it had progressed. I had met up again with the rest of the Hollywood Arts crowd and become firm friends with them all. There had been negatives; the fall-out from my quitting iCarly, the short-term damage it had done to my already fragile relationships with Carly and Sam, the impact it had had on my first few days at UCLA but on a brighter note the way it had resolved itself with the Thanksgiving special and really strengthened my friendship with Carly; I felt we were on better terms than we had been when I had left Seattle last summer. Sam was a different matter; it was clear that she was jealous of Tori being with me. I knew that this would be something that would be addressed while I was home over Christmas. How it would play out was still anybody's guess though.<p>

As far as college work was concerned Andy and I had already submitted our project; other assignments had been completed and handed in as well so we were in the nice position of winding down for the final week. Tonight, however, our dorm had been invited to an end-of-term party and I had persuaded Tori to come with me.

She arrived at 7, Trina in tow. My girl cast me a slightly apologetic look as her elder sister breezed into the dorm.

"She wanted to come to a college party and convinced our dad that she would be able to keep an eye on me; keep me safe" she explained before hastily adding "Not that he doesn't trust you!" while looking earnestly at me.

"Isn't it more likely to be _us_ looking out for _her_?" I asked, trying and failing to keep the smirk off my face and the mirth from my voice. Tori matched my expression and we shared a laugh at the thought of Trina being the responsible Vega sister.

"Yeah" she conceded, "maybe it's closer to the truth that dad just wanted her out of the house for the evening and wanted us to keep an eye on her."

I turned my gaze to Trina and appraise her outfit: while Tori had opted for her trademark T-shirt and skinny jeans combination (I was in dark blue jeans and a dress shirt myself) her sister looked resplendent in a dress of shocking pink and pink high-heeled shoes. Obviously it's never good to be caught looking at your girlfriend's sister but I could barely help it; she looked amazing.

I quickly turned my attention back to Tori and enquired as to how her day had been. Like us they had one eye on the holidays, Tori had given her final graded performance of the term today; all that remained were a few classes before school ended for a couple of weeks. We discussed our mutual friends and she informed me that Jade and Beck were heading to Canada to see some of his family (they were a little happier to see Jade these days, now that she had mellowed fractionally). Neither André, Cat nor Robbie had made any major plans, nor had her family (except, of course, for Tori herself who was coming up to Seattle with me for most of the holidays).

Once Tom and the rest of the guys were ready we made our way to the party; it was in full swing when we arrived. Music was blaring, people were dancing and the obligatory beer kegs had been tapped. Cups of the stuff were pressed into our hands on arrival. Tori and I shared a look, touched cups to 'toast' and each took a small sip of the beverage. We laughed as we both grimaced at the bitter aftertaste. Trina's approach was somewhat different; she took an altogether larger swig of her drink, stifled the look of disgust she began to form and took another draught.

Trina was quickly finding herself at home among the college crowd, she certainly appealed to the frat boys in attendance (many of their girlfriends threw murderous glances in her direction, however, when their men's eyes wandered) and was having a fine time flirting with the male population of the party. Tori and I were sure to keep glancing in her direction regularly; we were becoming a little concerned as her beer consumption increased (what we hadn't realised at the time was that she was drinking even more than we had thought; some of the boys were topping up her cup while she sweet-talked them and she had also taken to mine-sweeping the party area).

Tori and I were content, meanwhile, to spend a large portion of the evening chatting with my friends on the fringe of the main room. Occasionally a guy would attempt to hit on Tori or a girl on me (obviously we both rebuffed the advances, much as we enjoyed the attention and laughed about it between ourselves). If a song came on that we liked we would hit the dance floor for a bit before returning to the sidelines and our drinks (trusting a friend to ensure they were not spiked while we were away). I saw a couple of the guys from my course (not "friends" as such but people to say hello to on entering the class or passing them on campus) and struck up brief conversations with them, but it really wasn't a night for talking shop; it was an evening to relax in good company and have a little fun after a busy term.

Irrespective of how it came about the result of Trina's drinking and flirtatious behaviour was that Tori and I found ourselves after a couple of hours in the position of having to keep an increasingly slurring and struggling Trina out of trouble; and at a frat party there was plenty of trouble to go around. To begin with she was still suitably self-aware, albeit even louder than usual, but there inevitably came the point where some of the older guys decided that she would be easy prey; and these weren't the type of guys who would readily take 'no' for an answer.

The two of us made our way over as a group of "elder statesmen" began to gravitate towards my girl's sister. One of the jocks told me, none too politely, that my intervention was unwelcome and that I should leave Tori behind with them and make myself scarce; neither point was one that I was pleased to hear or willing to accept. Instead I advised him, in a more friendly tone than I really felt like using, that he should back away from her. He declined and instead took a swing at me. As he was more intoxicated than I (both Tori and I had just about finished nursing the beers we received as we walked through the door) his punch was wild and he missed. My quick reply did not and he staggered back into his group of friends, a trickle of blood appearing at the bottom of his left nostril. As one he and his friends turned to me and the Vega sisters with angry looks on their faces. At this point my only concern was for the safety of the girls; I stepped in front of them and threw my arms out to the side.

"Tori, keep hold of Trina and the two of you stay back" I muttered, "if you get the chance, get yourselves away from here."

"I'm not leaving you here with them!" she whispered back.

"Trina's our priority" I insisted, quietly but firmly. "Get her out of here when you get the chance."

I balled my hands into fists as the angry crowd closed in on us. Even though I'd had far less to drink than any of them I really didn't rate my chances in a brawl against half-a-dozen jocks. I figured that my job was to keep them at bay until Tori could get Trina and herself to safety and I had to hope someone would pull them off me before I lost too many teeth.

All too quickly the first punch was thrown; it was the same guy as before. Again it was wild and again it missed. Again I did not. This time I sent the guy to the floor but had no chance to savour my success as a second combatant quickly replaced him in the fray. This guy was less drunk and more accurate; he landed a clean blow to my jaw, rocking me slightly. I was able to keep my feet though and returned the blow with a quick left-right combination of my own. Suddenly a punch came out of nowhere sending one of the group to the floor. I chanced a quick sideways glance and saw Tom stood beside me, coming out swinging. I felt the girls brush past me; Tori was using the diversion to her advantage and hauling her sister out of the party. Tom and I continued to battle gamely; the guys we'd put down were back up and fists were flying everywhere. I had taken several to the face and chest, I could feel a throbbing under my right eye and my jaw was definitely tender. I had put a few good blows in myself, however, determined to do as much damage as I could before their superior numbers told. I realised, however, that Steve and Shane, two of our other dorm-mates had followed Tom across and joined the fray. Now it was four freshmen against six seniors; the seniors were drunk, my friends less so and me almost completely sober, which made it an even contest, perhaps even one that we were slightly dominating: until other guys stepped in and began separating us and dragging us away from one another.

The four of us were bundled out of the house and went in search of the girls. I spied Tori hunched over her sister several feet away and we walked across to them. It transpired that Trina was in the process of throwing up; Tori would later inform me that this wasn't the first time she'd done so since leaving the party. I thanked the guys for their intervention and support.

"No problem" Tom insisted. "We weren't gonna leave you to take on six guys on your own – especially when you were protecting the girls here" he finished with a gesture to Tori and Trina.

"Well, thanks anyway and sorry that it led to us getting kicked out" I repeated as we headed back towards our dorm.

"Hey, you've not done college until you've been kicked out of a couple of frat parties" Shane piped up eagerly, causing the rest of us to laugh loudly.

"What am I going to do Freddie?" asked Tori worriedly as we entered my room, supporting Trina between us. "I can't take Trina home in this state. Mom and dad will freak!"

"Stay here for a while" I suggested. "Trina's just about asleep anyway, put her on my bed; we'll hang with the guys in the common area for a couple more hours." I checked my watch before continuing "It's still only 9:30, stay until midnight or so, we'll wake her up, hopefully she'll have sobered up a little by then, you can head home, put her to bed, _hopefully_ your dad won't still be up and she'll be ok, if a little hung over, by morning."

"Sounds like a plan to me" she agreed and we set Trina down on my bed. Almost as soon as we did she began snoring softly so we crept out of the room and joined the other guys on the couches. They had acquired a few bottles of beer and offered them to us. Tori declined, she had to drive home after all, but I accepted and nursed a second beer of the night while furnishing Tori with a bottle of water instead. We watched a bit of TV and talked for a while before Trina emerged, looking unusually dishevelled, around midnight, which Tori took as their cue to leave.

We helped her sister to Tori's car and she belted herself in. We turned to face each other.

"So" I said.

"So" she echoed.

"Interesting night."

"Sure was – I'll remember my first college party for a long time."

I smiled. "Well, I'll see you here on Saturday, packed and ready for a couple of weeks in snowy Seattle." This caused her to grimace slightly.

"That's going to be a bit different from the climate here" she observed. I nodded. It was true, even for a December evening it was comfortable with just a light jacket over my shirt; in Seattle it would be a much different (and colder) story.

"Goodnight Tori, love you" I leaned in for a kiss.

"Love you too Freddie, see you on Saturday" she said as we broke apart and she got in her car to head home.


	19. A Teddie Christmas

**AN: Welcome to the latest chapter of this story. Thanks as always go to everyone who has read and reviewed thus far; I am glad that so many of you are enjoying the journey with me.**

**Riotstarter – there is undoubtedly a place on FFnet for a Teddrina story; this however is not going to be it.**

* * *

><p>And we're home. Our flight landed safe and sound and we walked into the airport terminal, where my mom greeted us; Tori a little stiffly but me with the warmth one would expect a mother to show her only child. Thankfully my girlfriend had heeded my advice and wrapped up warm, we had left the comfortable climate of Los Angeles for snowy, freezing Seattle.<p>

A short car journey was negotiated in silence. Mom was alone in the front and I noticed her eyeing us in the rear-view mirror more often than was necessary. Tori glanced (slightly nervously) at me; I squeezed her hand reassuringly and smiled at her.

Once we reached Bushwell Plaza I retrieved out bags from the trunk of mom's car and the three of us made our way to the 8th floor and into 8-D. It felt strange to be back after spending so long in Los Angeles. My prediction came true as Tori was chivvied towards my bedroom and I was informed that I'd be having use of the couch this Christmas (mom had put a small dresser in the living area for me to store some clothes in).

Tori and I unpacked quickly and made out way across the hall to see Carly and Spencer; predictably Sam was there too. Carly flung herself on me as soon as we'd walked through the door; a huge hug and her legendary smile welcoming me home to Seattle before she gave Tori the same treatment. Sam greeted me happily (and Tori rather more stiffly) before Spencer gave us a warm greeting too.

I selected a couple of bottles of Wahoo Punch from the Shays' fridge and joined Spencer and the three girls in sitting around the TV, rolling my eyes as Sam and Spencer argued over whether to watch _Girly Cow_ or _Celebrities Under Water_. I saw that Carly looked similarly unimpressed with the viewing options and she invited me up to the old iCarly studio. I asked Tori if she was joining us but she "wanted to watch down here"; whether she meant the bickering of the TV show she didn't elaborate.

Carly slipped a DVD into her laptop before she and I settled into two of the bean bags that littered the floor of the 3rd level of apartment 8-C. We touched our drinks together and toasted to the holidays, being together back in Seattle and most importantly to our friendship being repaired after all the trials of the past year. Carly's smile was radiant as I made that part of the toast. Her smile turned to something more akin to a pout, however, when I rolled my eyes at her choice of a cheesy rom-com for movie night. I chuckled at the sight and she relented, restoring a grin to her face.

As the movie progressed she leaned closer to me, resting her head on my upper arm. My attention wandered far from the room; I thought back to our childhood, to the times when I would have given anything to have her this close to me, the two of us alone like this in our own little world. I smiled at the irony that now it had happened it was completely platonic; I was comfortable being this close to her because I had the most wonderful, beautiful girl in the world waiting for me two floors below.

"What are you smiling about?" Carly's curious tone sucked me from my musings.

"Just thinking about what I'd have given to be in this position when I was five years younger" I said lightly. She giggled as she thought back to our past. "You were right Carls" I turned to face her, "you said the perfect girl for me was out there somewhere; I'm so glad that I found her." I saw her expression change to a half-smile and curiosity got the better of me. "So how about you Carly? Has the guy of your dreams come into your life yet?"

"No" she said wearily, and with a hint of dejectedness. "I've been looking" I suppressed a smirk at this, knowing full well how Carly liked to be on the look-out for a potential love-interest "I've had a few dates but nothing really." Then she sighed. "Still, I'm a college girl now; looks like I'll have to open my legs to get and keep a guy" she continued, voice dripping with bitterness and resentment at the thought.

I was pretty stunned to hear her talk like that. "You don't need to do that Carls; not for any guy that's _worth_ keeping."

She looked at me disbelievingly.

"No Carls." I shook my head. "Ok, Tori and I make love – any chance we get really" I chuckled, "but it was right for us; it was our time. I never pressured her, I never would do. I'm with her because I love her and she loves me." Hurt then replaced the anger bubbling up from her unspoken insinuation. "Do you really think that little of me Carly?"

"No" she said, eyes widening, "it's just…" she began awkwardly before trailing off. She looked at the floor then back at me. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to suggest that about you Freddie. I know you treat a girl well; I remember that you always did when I was the one who had your heart."

I slipped an arm around her and pulled her close. "He's out there Carls, you'll find him soon enough" and gently kissed the top of her head. She looked up to smile at me, something slightly unreadable in her eyes. "Are you ok?" I asked her. She nodded.

"I'm fine, maybe just a little envious of you and Tori; wishing that I had that. Maybe wondering just a little about what might have been if I HAD felt _like that_ about you" she said; a trace of regret in her voice. I raised my eye-brows at this and she quickly amended "Oh no, I'm not trying to come between you two…"

"Unlike Sam" I interjected. Carly gave a neutral look and continued

"I just see what you have and I want to have it too."

"Well we can't play 'what if?' Carls" I said sympathetically. "You'll find it eventually. Just keep on looking until you find what you've been searching for."

Further discussion was curtailed by the door opening and Sam entering the room.

"Aww" she teased with an amused tone.

"Nothing's going on" said an exasperated Carly as she extricated herself from my arm.

"I know; still – " she leaned close and whispered "you're lucky mama caught you and not Tori."

We both rolled our eyes at this.

"Tori and I trust one another" I told her. She raised her eyes slightly but dropped it; to ensure it stayed dropped I changed the subject quickly. "So what do you guys have planned for tomorrow?"

"Nothing really" said Carly.

"Mama's heading to the Derschlitz's to throw more balls at Gibby" Sam told me.

"He's still stuck up Nora's chimney?" I was surprised by this news. "Hasn't anyone got him out yet?"

"Nah, the local kids are having too much fun using him for target practice."

Tori chose this moment to join us in the studio and slid into the bean bag on the other side of me from Carly and draped an arm around my shoulders.

"You two didn't like the choice of TV viewing down there?" Carly asked the newcomers.

"Nah Spencer was watching his Celebrities Underwater marathon; I got bored" Sam complained.

"Trina's the reality TV junkie in our household and I was missing my man" Tori squeezed my shoulders as Carly beamed at us. I turned to my girl to give her a soft peck on the lips; she firmed her hold on my shoulders and deepened the kiss, oblivious to our audience (or maybe she wasn't; she certainly isn't blind to Sam's feelings on the matter). We eventually broke apart and I looked around to see Carly still with a huge smile on her face; she was facing the big screen but was clearly shooting furtive glances at us from the corner of her eye. Sam, meanwhile, was looking pointedly at the screen and making her way over to a pile of bean bags before dragging one to the other side of Carly and flopping into it.

"So how about you guys?" Carly asked after a couple of minutes in which we'd watched the movie in silence, "do you have any plans for tomorrow?"

"Only the Grand Tour of Seattle" I announced exuberantly "We'll be taking in some of the main sights of the city during the day. Maybe we could meet you guys for a smoothie around 7 and begin planning the Christmas special of iCarly?"

Carly glanced at Sam; the blonde nodded curtly. The plan for the day was set so we watched the remainder of the movie, chatting amiably about mutual friends (mostly it was Tori filling the girls in on the latest news in the lives of the HA gang) and generally talking about anything and everything (the more mundane the better).

"How will work cope without you over the holidays?" Carly asked curiously.

"Well there won't be too many people on camps over the next few weeks; I think they've actually closed the campus branch until term starts again" I explained. "When we're in town tomorrow I'm going to call in on the branch there; my boss told me he'd put in a call and see if they had any shifts available that I could do while I'm here – if it fits in with any other plans we may have of course" I addressed the last part specifically to Tori, though I glanced to my old friends too; I wasn't sure if they had anything they wanted to do while we were briefly reunited.

"Well we'll want some 'Freddie time'" Carly remarked "but sign up for whatever you want and we can work around it" she proposed generously.

"Yes, Fredwardo needs a nice fat wallet to keep mama in ham this Christmas" Sam said, maybe half-jokingly. Tori and I just looked at one another and shook our heads.

The movie had ended by now. We all trooped downstairs, I retrieved another drink for everyone from the fridge and we joined Spencer on the couches, where we hung out a little longer before Tori and I headed across the corridor for the night. Mom was home and waiting for us so unfortunately all we could manage was a bit of a make-out session in my room; she insisted that we leave the door open and it was clear that she was not going to go to bed before Tori did. With more than a little regret I wished my girl goodnight before returning to the living area to make up my bed for the night.

* * *

><p>I awoke to the sound of my mom clattering around the kitchen preparing breakfast. I struggled groggily to disentangle myself from the bedding on the couch, stretching and kneading my shoulders to work out some of the kinks from sleeping on an unusual, unconventional and makeshift bed as I walked towards the kitchen. Tori happened to emerge as I was doing so; she kissed me good morning and whispered a promise of a massage after breakfast to soothe my tortured muscles.<p>

After breakfast mom headed for work, as did T-Bo, and Tori made good on her promise. Our full itinerary meant that we went no further than a massage and a make-out before leaving for our first port of call, the Pike Place Market. Tori enjoyed the bustling place, took in the ambiance and we picked up some produce from the farmers' market for lunch before moving on to the Waterfront, where Tori got to admire the views of our Olympic Mountains and Elliott Bay before we hit the Olympic Sculpture Park for an enjoyable walk; Spencer has always loved coming here for inspiration.

Having toured the park we found a vacant bench near the entrance and sat down for lunch; the stuff we'd bought from the market was excellent, definitely superior to what you could get in most of the big stores in town.

Next stop for us, back in town, was the local branch of the Pear Store; my boss had called ahead so they were expecting me to drop in. A list of times where they needed extra help was given to me and I had a quick discussion with Tori as to exactly how many shifts I should be looking to take; on the one hand I wanted to work and earn a bit more cash, on the other I was here with my girlfriend over Christmas; while she could hang with Carly (and Sam I guess), it kinda defeated the object of us spending the holidays together if I was working all the time. We decided a good compromise would be if I worked a 4 hour shift every other day. I put my name on the lists and we headed out for our next destination, one of my favourite haunts in the whole city; the Pacific Science Center.

Tori wasn't really interested in the seasonal exhibits so we moved on to the permanent features; my all-time favourite is Science on a Sphere, using computers and video projectors to display the atmosphere and oceans on a ball. I loved it; Tori showed enough interest to watch it with me for a few minutes (I could literally have watched it all day) before she wandered off to the dinosaur exhibit. I caught up with her as she was leaving it and we looked at the more current parts of it; a look at current research going on in the area and The Studio, exhibiting some of the health-related research taking place; something I made a note to talk to my mom about later

Tori loved the 3D demonstrations and some of the more interactive parts of the building (including the so-called "Science Playground") while we also took advantage of a rare non-rainy day in Seattle to sample some of the outdoor exhibits; spinning a huge granite ball with our bare hands was something that gave her a new appreciation for some of my more geeky tendencies.

Regretfully it was time to leave the center, though there was more science to see at the EMP museum; I was in heaven today even though Tori's interest here was centred more on the musical exhibits in the museum than the scientific; we went our separate ways and met up in the gift shop afterwards (she would never hear the end of it if she returned to LA without an armful of gifts for her elder sister).

The afternoon exhausted we made our way to the main event, Seattle's piece de resistance if you will, the Seattle Center complete with the famous Space Needle. One look at the restaurant prices convinced us to wait until we met the girls in an hour or so at the Groovy Smoothie (though I made a mental note that we WOULD give it our patronage one day); instead we headed for the Observation Deck where, from a height of 520 feet, I showed her another view of Seattle, pointing out Bushwell Plaza, Ridgeway and a whole host of other sights from my home city.

With the time approaching 7 we returned to Terra Firma and headed to meet the girls.

* * *

><p>"So how was Gibby" I asked Sam as we joined her and Carly at a table in the Groovy Smoothie.<p>

"Ok" she said "though he wishes more people would throw food _to_ him instead of tennis balls _at_ him" she finished with a wicked grin. I smirked and shook my head.

Neither Carly nor Sam had eaten (though in Sam's case that was irrelevant; she would always be happy to eat again) so we ordered burgers and fries with our smoothies (T-Bo declined to offer me a "flatmate's discount"; hey I may as well ask, right?). We sipped our Strawberry Splats while our food cooked (at least I know T-Bo will make sure our food's done properly; mom would kill him if I got food poisoning from his establishment!) and bounced ideas around for the iCarly Christmas Special. That Gibby was… indisposed… meant there would be no sketches involving him; maybe we could rope Spencer into one or two of them. Sam, meanwhile, was lobbying for me to sing again "because it would be funny and would embarrass you" was her argument. Carly had smiled and said I could if I wanted to; she suggested that I duet with Tori (if we do then maybe it should be something cheesy enough that I wouldn't embarrass her with it). Tori herself wanted to do a bit of acting; she suggested extended specials of one or two of our infamous 'pathetic plays'. Our planning was interrupted by the arrival of our food, which was promptly devoured (to no-one's surprise Sam finished first and made a start on 'helping' Carly finish her fries). I ordered another round of smoothies (Apple Assault for Tori and I, Blueberry Blast for Carly and Sam) and we turned our attention back to the show, jotting down a few more ideas over the ensuing half-hour or so.

Having drunk our second smoothies we decided that it was time to leave (though Carly did rush back to the counter, remembering that Spencer wanted a Blueberry Blast bringing back) and made the short journey back to Bushwell Plaza. I parked up and joined the girls in the elevator, returning to the 8th floor and Carly's apartment.

Spencer was sat on the couch, watching TV with his arm around a blonde girl; she seemed more interested in watching him than the movie they had on; I think it was that recent big-budget action drama, wall-to-wall explosions and similar stuff. Tori hadn't been even remotely interested in going to see it at the cinema so I'd gone with some of the guys from my dorm and course; it had been pretty good. The four of us ignored the scene on the couch and made our way upstairs to Carly's room. Sam flopped down on her bed, Carly perched on the edge of it next to her while Tori and I made our way to the love seat.

"Who was the girl?" asked Tori in a curious tone.

"No idea" said Carly calmly. Tori's forehead contracted as her eye-brows headed for her hairline in evident surprise. My chuckle at her reaction brought her attention to me.

"You get used to that sort of thing happening with Spencer" I explained

"So, iCarly" said my brunette friend, bringing our focus back to the show. "We want to air it on Christmas Eve, which gives us a few days to spread the word on the internet and do a little bit of a rehearsal for the pathetic plays." Tori and I nodded at her, Sam didn't respond; it's possible she's already fallen asleep, a thought that gained credence as Carly glanced over her shoulder and her expression changed to one of frustration mingled with mild disgust. She persisted "Sam and I will do some improv for the introduction and between the plays, maybe we'll think up a quick sketch or two to slip in there as well, then you two are going to sing us out so you need to practise the song" and she cast an amused eye at us.

"We will" Tori assured her while I enthusiastically nodded my agreement.

"Ok then" she clapped her hands "It looks like we have it just about planned."

"No 'Messing with Lewbert'?" I asked suddenly. "It's been way too long since we pulled a good prank on him." Then I addressed my girl "It's a shame we don't have that snow machine Cat bought from Sky Store; dumping a load of fake snow on him would have been great."

Tori laughed but Carly's eyes lit up at the suggestion.

"Great idea Freddie!" she enthused. "I'll talk to Sam…" and she looked at the blonde-headed demon "…when she eventually wakes up and we'll see if we can rig something up." Then she looked around at us again and asked "So do you guys want to grab some drinks and watch a movie or something up in the studio?"

We exchanged glances before agreeing. I made the trip downstairs for a round of refreshments before joining the two in the studio (they must have left Sam asleep on Carly's bed) and prepared to sit through another of Carly's chick flick collection; though at least tonight I could spend the entire film cuddling with Tori.

* * *

><p>The next few days passed quickly; holidays always do. Working at the Pear Store in Seattle was a different experience to my usual store on campus. It was an enjoyable enough atmosphere but with a much more varied clientele; at UCLA it was, inevitably, almost exclusively college kids who came in whereas here it was a broad cross-section of the population, ranging from pre-teens (usually accompanied by parents) all the way up to retirees. I was put to work on the shop floor, not the best place for me but I did my best; recognition from iCarly, and the good reception of the Thanksgiving episode, meant that I had a steady stream of people wanting to talk to me. I did a reasonable job in sales which kept the boss happy. I did campaign to be deployed in upgrades and repairs but to no avail, although I hope that pester power will win the day if I keep asking.<p>

My usual post-work ritual was to meet the girls at the Groovy Smoothie for a meal and a chill-out session. Their days were seemingly not consisting of anything particularly exciting; occasionally they would call by the Pear Store to say hello, much to the boss's chagrin as they felt they were a distraction, both to me and (in the case of Carly and Sam) to the customers. Tori would later confide in me that things were still very frosty between her and Sam when they were alone in the room although Sam would don a smile when Carly, or anybody else, was around as well. She was utterly unconcerned by Sam's attitude but it was beginning to bother me and I made a mental note to have a private talk with Sam before we returned to LA.

The store closed early on Christmas Eve and I made the short drive back to Bushwell Plaza singing to myself; a final rehearsal of the song Tori and I were performing in a couple of hours on the show. I entered our apartment and greeted my mom and girlfriend; mom was just finishing up making dinner so I joined Tori at the table (not before mom reminded me to wash and sanitise my hands of course). We ate, talked about our days (mom and I traded stories of our shifts at work, Tori talked about the latest thing Spencer had set fire to; fortunately it wasn't their Christmas tree this year nor was it the TV, sadly two of his sculptures had gone up in smoke). Again I explained it away to her as "these things happen when Spencer is around."

Dinner having been consumed Tori and I made the short trip across the hallway and up to the iCarly studio (a different girl, a brunette this time, was watching TV with Spencer; the charred remains of his work sat smouldering behind them by the staircase). Sam cast a surly look as we entered the studio hand-in-hand, she tried to hide it by quickly plastering a smile on her face but fooled nobody, least of all Carly; she wore a worried expression as she looked from us to her blonde best friend. With the start time for the show quickly drawing in on us I hooked my small, hand-held camera up to Carly's lap-top, logged in to the administrator's area of the iCarly site and engaged the live feed.

"In 5, 4, 3, 2…" and I pointed to Carly and Sam, who had taken their customary position in the middle of the studio floor.

"I'm Carly" she announced.

"And I'm Sam". The girls had donned Santa hats for the duration of the show.

"And this is the iCarly Christmas Special" they cried, Sam then pressing the cheer button on the blue remote.

"And since it's Christmas we've got a _special present_ for our nasty doorman, Lewbert. Freddie?"

"Going live to the Lewbert Cam" I said, tapping a few buttons, the screen swung out, displaying a shot of the Bushwell Plaza lobby; Lewbert was sat behind his desk scowling.

"Now Sam if you will?"

Sam obediently drew out her Pear phone and dialled the lobby.

"What?" snarled our surly doorman.

"Merry Christmas" she screamed down the phone while pushing a button on a special remote she'd rigged up.

Lewbert shrieked at the loud voice in his ear, dropping the phone and falling on to the desk. As he did Sam's surprise was revealed as a load of white objects rained down on him (we would later learn that they were tissues soaked with sour milk; it must have taken him hours to clean the lobby and get rid of the smell afterwards.

"Ah, Christmas at Bushwell Plaza" Carly told the camera with a smile. "Ok, now it's time for the first of our 'pathetic plays' this evening with our special guest star: the amazingly talented Tori Vega." To her credit Sam _did_ press the cheer button for Tori as she entered the frame. I put up the titles for the play and Tori began a short soliloquy about the vampire boy (specially written in so that Sam, Carly and I could get into our costumes). I mounted the camera and stepped into the frame myself as we began the skit.

The plays went well; Carly and Sam managed their amusing banter and improv and we rounded the show off with Tori and I singing our love song duet. I had rehearsed enough to ensure that I didn't embarrass her (she whispered "well done" to me at the end and Carly and even Sam commended me on my performance). Later on in the evening the comments from the fans were generally positive (although the more hard-core Creddies and Seddies continued to lament Tori's status in my life) and while we perused the comments we hung out in Carly's room (Spencer and his date were still downstairs). Again Tori and I occupied the love seat and again Sam appeared to have fallen asleep; Carly confirmed that she was staying over tonight again. We talked a little more, joked and laughed like old times until finally it was time for us to head home.

"Oh!" I said, remembering something. "I left presents for you, Sam and Spencer under the tree. Good night Carly."

"Good night you two" she replied. "I'll drop your gifts round in the morning."

We returned to my apartment; mom was still up so I walked Tori to my room and kissed her, and my mom, good night before re-making my bed on the couch.

* * *

><p>"Merry Christmas Tori" I greeted her with a kiss and handed her a small box.<p>

"Merry Christmas Freddie" she replied and handed me a parcel.

She unwrapped the bracelet I had bought her while I opened her gift; to my surprise she had bought me some new software for my laptop; the very thing I'd mentioned that I needed for the project I needed to do next term.

"Wow Tori!" I exclaimed.

"Now when you do your work you'll be thinking of me" she said.

"I always do anyway" I admitted before leaning in to kiss her again.

"Thank you for the bracelet; it's beautiful" she whispered and kissed me again.

We crossed the hallway to see Carly and Spencer. They were busily opening their own presents when we walked in. Carly flung herself on me, thanking me for the Cuddlefish CD I'd bought her. Spencer shook my hand and thanked me for the art book I got for him. Carly then handed me her gift (a Plain White T's CD) before she glanced idly at the ceiling.

"Mistletoe" she said casually, pointing directly above us.

I glanced over at Tori who smirked casually so I leant in and gave Carly a peck on the cheek.

"Merry Christmas Carly"

"Merry Christmas Freddie"


	20. Back Home for New Year

Christmas at Freddie's had been a new experience; it was strange not being at home, speaking to Trina and my parents only over the phone, thanking them for the gifts (I'd taken them with me and left their gifts from us behind for them to open on the day). Seattle was also totally different to Los Angeles; for one thing the weather was A LOT colder, for another there was Freddie's mom to deal with. I really don't know how Freddie does it. Trina drives me crazy but Marissa takes crazy to a whole new level. I keep having to remind myself that it's just for a few days, a couple of weeks; I can deal with it for that long at least, although knowing he's a few yards away from me on a night is difficult; I miss my Freddie on a night and seriously need some alone time with him when we get a chance back home (note to self: send mom and dad away for a weekend early next term).

Then we have the others; Spencer is someone I've not seen too much of. He always seems to be occupied with his sculptures or he's spending his evenings with one girl or another – I'm really not sure how good a role model he is to his little sister. Speaking of Carly – she's very much the more level-headed sibling and seems to be genuinely happy for Freddie and me. It's obvious that she cares about him and she shows it (Freddie tells me, and the 'iCarly killer' incident confirmed, that this hasn't always been the case). Sam, perhaps unsurprisingly given her reputation, could best be described as something of a 'wild card'; talking with Freddie over the months has revealed some of the things (some of them pretty shocking) that went on between them. I don't doubt that Freddie has, in fact, watered down some of it; it was obvious from the way he was talking but if he doesn't want to go into all the gory details then I respect that. What has been more unexpected has been her behaviour since Freddie moved to LA; certainly Freddie didn't expect it anyway. She spends as little time as possible around me and, coupled with her attitude when we _are_ in the same place (and her actions and attitude while she was in LA for Thanksgiving) it all adds up to her still having feelings for my man (we suspected as much at Thanksgiving and nothing since then has persuaded me otherwise). I'm not _worried_, Freddie assures me it's completely one-sided, I know he loves me and I trust him but it does make things awkward when she's around; this in turn makes things awkward for Carly and the others. Freddie does intend to speak to her about the situation before we leave; I really hope they can resolve things as his visits would be a lot better if he's at peace with everyone.

The remainder of the morning passed pleasantly. We sat around the television watching a few mindless shows, drinking sodas and talking about mundane and trivial things; four friends (Carly, Freddie, Spencer and me) enjoying one another's company. For a couple of hours all was right with the world.

* * *

><p>After spending Christmas morning at Carly's we returned across the hallway for a quiet dinner with Freddie's mom (T-Bo was out somewhere; other than when we've been at the Groovy Smoothie I really haven't seen much of him). Marissa had pulled out all the stops; a soup starter, a (low-fat of course) turkey with boiled potatoes (they're healthier than roast potatoes you see), plenty of vegetables but no Christmas pudding (Freddie actually stormed out of the apartment when Marissa told me it would upset his tummy if he had any) so we were left with dessert being cheese crackers but no cheese (presumably for the same reason).<p>

To be polite I ate a couple but left as soon as I could to go look for Freddie while his mom made coffee; he wasn't at Carly's (my first and most logical guess) but she suggested the fire escape and directed me to it. There he was, my Freddie, sat oblivious to the cold and with a face like thunder. I sat next to him and draped my arm around his shoulders, kissing his cheek as I did. He turned to me with a small smile before it faded as quickly as it arrived and he resumed gazing out over the city.

We sat in silence while he continued to glare moodily at Seattle, my arm still over his shoulders, his had snaked around my waist; I was feeling the cold but was determined to stay with him for as long as it took him to get over it. Unfortunately my body had other ideas and gave an involuntary shiver.

"You're freezing; go inside Tori" he said softly, his eyes full of concern for me. I shook my head in response.

"I'm here for you Freddie" I told him softly "for as long as you need me."

He smiled, a warm and genuine smile, before responding

"I can't believe her – even after all this time she still treats me like a baby; and to humiliate me in front of you like that?" he shook his head in disgust before looking at me seriously. "I've had it; I want to go back to LA. If it's ok with you I'll call the airline and see if we can change our tickets to a flight tomorrow."

I was surprised by this but I could tell that he was serious. If I'm being honest I was ready to go home as well, to see mom and dad (and even Trina) and my school friends but I wanted him to be sure.

"Is this _really_ what you want? You won't see Carly or Sam – or Spencer – and what about work? You're signed up for shifts aren't you?"

He nodded. "I'm working tomorrow afternoon but we could go for an evening flight; that gives us the rest of today and tomorrow morning to say goodbye to Carly and the others."

I nodded my own agreement. "Then we'll call the airline in the morning." I told him. "But now –" he looked at me curiously "we need to see Carly; I looked for you there first and we need to let her know that I found you."

He gave me a look of understanding and we stood to make our way back inside.

* * *

><p>"You're leaving TOMORROW?" Carly asked Freddie, a mixture of surprise, disappointment and hurt on her face and in her eyes and voice.<p>

He nodded regretfully. "I can't stay. My mom..." and he shrugged helplessly. Carly did not look surprised; she had experienced Marissa's erratic behaviour before.

"When will I see you again?" she asked in sad resignation.

"You want to do Spring Break in LA?" he asked.

Carly smiled eagerly before complaining that she didn't want to wait THAT long before she saw Freddie again. I suggested to her that, although it's a long way to travel for a weekend, she is always welcome to come and visit us in LA.

She gave me a grateful smile before asking "What about Sam?"

"Meh, she can sleep in the yard" I joked, causing us all to laugh before Freddie turned serious.

"I do need to speak to her before we go" he reminded himself.

He was to get his chance sooner than expected; having been obligated to spend Christmas with her mom Sam flounced through Carly's front door declaring herself to be 'sick of her family' and hungry (again). I noted her use of the word 'family' rather than 'mother' and questioned Carly on it; it was Sam herself, however, who answered from the fridge

"My _sister_ is here for the holidays too." Seeing my surprise at this revelation she elaborated "_Melanie_, my identical twin sister. She got a scholarship to a private school and won another to Yale so I don't see her much; though still too often for my liking"

Freddie pulled me close and wrapped an arm around me as we chatted with Carly and watched Sam devouring the Shays' left-over turkey. When she was done he looked from Carly to me before releasing me and telling Sam he needed to speak to her privately. She looked surprised but let him shepherd her out in the direction of the fire escape.

"I can't believe he's going tomorrow" Carly began before turning to face me "and not coming back."

"I think he'll come around" I answered with a shrug "but Marissa crossed a line once too often for him. It just means you'll have to visit him rather than him visiting you."

Carly nodded sombrely before brightening "So, Spring Break?"

I smiled and we began discussing the sort of things there would be to do at that time of year in LA, particularly at Venice Beach; we soon had some provisional plans made before Freddie returned, Sam just behind him, both with impassive faces.

"Later" he whispered in answer to my quizzical look.

Eager to make the most of what she called her "Freddie time" Carly insisted that we stay there for the remainder of the afternoon. Freddie was only too eager to agree (he didn't want to see Marissa any sooner than he had to) so the three of us, with Sam in tow, trooped upstairs to Carly's room. Freddie immediately took a seat by the water-topped table, seized a remote control and started moving a boat around it. Carly did likewise, having first placed a Sea Captain's hat on his head at a ridiculous angle, causing both to giggle uncontrollably. Having not been in her room before, however, I took the opportunity to appraise it. Freddie explained about the fire a couple of years earlier and how they had rebuilt the room as a surprise for her. I admired her dresser, with a mirror that doubled as a video screen, her motorised wardrobe (Freddie's handiwork) and some of the other items (I particularly liked the ice cream love seat) before my eyes were drawn to the trampoline set into the floor at the bottom of her bed.

"You know you want to" Sam's low voice told me; she had sidled up to me during my little tour. I turned to her; she was smiling at me, a little forced perhaps but it was definitely a smile. Repaying kindness with kindness I grinned back. Her eyes turned back to the trampoline and she gave me a gentle nudge with her elbow before smiling at me again. I nodded and jumped onto the trampoline, bouncing off it and landing at the top end of Carly's bed, laughing as I did. Sam too was laughing at this, which caused Carly and Freddie to turn their attention to the pair of us with amused if quizzical looks.

"That trampoline is awesome!" I exclaimed enthusiastically.

"Just make sure _Sam_ doesn't use it right after and land on top of you" Freddie warned, shooting the blonde a quick look. She smirked back at him, sticking her tongue out at him. He shook his head lightly and smiled before returning his gaze to his boating exploits, Carly doing likewise. I smiled and watched the pair manoeuvring their craft around the small enclosure, sometimes duelling, other times racing but always laughing; they were completely at ease with one another. Sam, meanwhile, had taken a position on the chair by Carly's dresser to observe the scene; she too smiled at the sight of the pair.

Ultimately, though, we grew bored of the boats and made our way up to the iCarly studio. Carly put a DVD on to play and we spent the remainder of the afternoon watching a movie. Carly did begin talking about ideas for a Spring Break episode of iCarly (Sam did not seem surprised that the next show would not be until then – possibly it was one thing Freddie mentioned during their conversation) but no specific ideas were mentioned (we had, after all, only just finished a show a few days earlier).

Two movies later Sam's stomach could bear being separated from food no longer; I was beginning to feel hungry myself and Freddie and Carly both said they were ready to eat so we made our way down to the living area to begin preparing a light meal. Spencer was down there and joined our group in the kitchen. We fixed some sandwiches and drinks before settling down in front of the TV again, watching whatever we could find on the various channels. Our enjoyable evening was interrupted, however, when Marissa came bursting through the door.

"Freddie!" she shrieked by way of greeting. "What happened to you today? I want to spend Christmas with my son; you get back home this instant."

My boyfriend looked at her but made no attempt to move; I was glad of this as I was very comfortably snuggled against him. Carly wore a look of mild apprehension as she looked from one Benson to the other. Freddie turned to her and her brother and asked

"Spencer? Carly? Is it ok if we stay here tonight?"

The two Shays were completely caught off guard by the question but shared a glance before Spencer answered "Uh sure Freddie, no problem."

"I'll make up the Guest bedroom bed for you" Carly announced and disappeared upstairs.

Marissa looked astonished at this development and her astonishment would turn to stunned fury as Freddie casually said,

"We're heading back to LA tomorrow after my shift at work mom"

She managed to stutter out an enquiry as to why we were leaving so soon; Freddie calmly outlined his reasons, never once raising his voice nor moving from his position on the couch, me still in his arms. Instead of backing down (which may have placated Freddie enough for us to at least discuss not accelerating our departure) she chose to rant and rave for a few minutes. Freddie stuck to his guns, however, and his mom ultimately departed.

The evening continued under a bit of a cloud (though Sam expressed her admiration for Freddie finally standing up to his mother; he gave her a small smile of gratitude in response. Carly tried to lighten the mood with her conversation topics, Spencer's antics continued to entertain and bewilder in equal measure but it was still with relief (as well as anticipation) that we headed for the Shays' guest room at the end of the night.

"Our sleepwear is still at your mom's" I mentioned casually as Freddie closed the door behind us.

"Were you planning on needing it?" he asked, raising an eyebrow and turning to me.

"Not really" I said with a huge smile as I stepped into his waiting arms, planting a kiss on his lips.

* * *

><p>I awoke the following morning the best way possible; being kissed and nuzzled by my boyfriend. I wriggled playfully, trying to get into a position to begin to return the favour; it degenerated into something of a wrestling match that put us both back in the mood. So it was a while later when we both got up and headed down for breakfast; Carly cast an amused glance in our direction as we reached the foot of the stairs.<p>

"Sleep well?" she enquired.

"Very" I said. It was true; being back in Freddie's arms had helped me get the best night's sleep I'd enjoyed in a while. He nodded enthusiastically alongside me before glancing at his watch.

"Ah" he exclaimed. "I have to be at work in half an hour; have you got any cereal Carls? It'll have to be a quick breakfast before I head straight there. Could you or Spencer give me a ride?"

"No problem" she told him.

We ate, Freddie departed (Spencer volunteered to chauffer him) while Carly and I used their PC to rebook our tickets. Carly was still disappointed that we were leaving so soon but she understood our reasons; particularly when I explained that I was missing my family over the holidays. She offered to go across the hallway with me to pack our things and, thinking safety in numbers may be useful, I accepted her offer. Marissa was there, and still upset, and she grumbled as the two of us bustled around packing up our things.

"I don't want you to go back so soon" she said sadly as we took our cases to the door.

I turned to her sympathetically and commented "You should have said so to Freddie and apologised for embarrassing him the way you did yesterday. I think he would have stayed if you had; it's too late now."

She nodded sadly. I promised that we'd look in before we left and say goodbye. Sam chose that moment to arrive and, after stowing our luggage in Carly's apartment and calling my mom to let her know of our change of plans, the two of them took me on an altogether different tour of Seattle; we visited a lot of their favourite girly hang-outs, such as Glitter Gloss and Build-A-Bra, while waiting for Freddie to get off work.

We finished our shopping tour at the Pear Store, timing our arrival to coincide with Freddie finishing work. I met him with a kiss and we headed as a quartet back to Bushwell Plaza. I looked in at the Benson apartment to say goodbye to Marissa before telling Freddie I'd wait for him at Carly's. He nodded and spent a few minutes with his mother before joining us in 8-C. We collected our things, took the elevator to the car park and Carly drove us to the airport where we said our goodbyes to her, Sam and Spencer.

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><p>"So" I asked Freddie once we were airborne "did you and Sam sort things out?"<p>

"Yes" he said with a small sigh "we talked things over and I think we're going to be good."

"_What is it Fredward?" Sam asked in a bored tone when they reached the fire escape. "What's so secret that you wanted to talk to mama in private?"_

_He shrugged. "You and me; me and Tori. How you act around me and Tori. Look" he said, his gaze softening, "we talked out here last summer just before I left. Things were said and I thought we were in a good place regarding what had happened between us... then over Thanksgiving it looked like you weren't very happy about the idea of me and Tori as a couple. Do we make you want to puke up blood?"_

_Sam laughed at his attempt to lighten the mood, recalling how she'd described her reaction to thinking about him dating Carly._

"_I see you happy" she began. "You know how much I HATE seeing you happy" she joked before turning serious. "I guess I just wonder what might have been. It's nothing personal against Tori."_

"_Can you cool it around her then, please?" he asked. "It makes things awkward; for her, for me, for Carly..." Sam bowed her head slightly as the realisation hit her "if you're acting so surly around her." She nodded. "Sam?" she turned to look at him. "Are you still in love with me?"_

_Her breath caught in her throat. "What? No" she said. "NO!" she repeated vehemently. "I have SOME feelings for you still; they didn't just go away but I'm not looking to break you two up or get back with you or anything like that. Like I said, seeing you so happy with Tori made me... made me a little jealous I guess. I'm sorry if I made things awkward for everyone."_

"_I'm glad we're good" he whispered, pulling his blonde ex-girlfriend into a hug; she smiled as she returned it. "We're going back to LA tomorrow and probably won't see you until Spring Break."_

"_So soon? Why?" Sam asked in surprise._

"_My mom" Freddie said._

"_Say no more; I understand."_

_The two shared a laugh and made their way back inside._

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><p>Soon enough our plane came in to land; we disembarked and collected our luggage. Trina was waiting for us, a bored expression on her face.<p>

"You owe me sister" she drawled, causing me to roll my eyes at her. "Hey I had plans" she persisted.

Freddie stepped forward. "Thank you Trina, we appreciate you coming to collect us."

Somewhat mollified she smiled at my boyfriend. "I'm glad you do" and she led us to her car and grumbled the whole way back to our house; Freddie was staying, though again we'd be in separate rooms. The memory of last night would have to sustain me until I could get rid of mom and dad for a weekend.

They greeted us enthusiastically as we entered my house. Freddie admired the Christmas tree with its... unique collection of baubles and ornaments (Trina has a habit of collecting them from every vacation; her portion of the tree is certainly distinctive). They asked how our time in Seattle had been and we told some of the stories of the week that we'd spent up there, some of the sights Freddie had shown me (we avoided mentioning Marissa's meltdown; I had just told mom and dad we were coming home early because I was missing them and wanted to spend some of Christmas with them).

Freddie managed to get a couple of shifts in the downtown Pear Store over the coming week. I spent a little time with Cat, Robbie and André (Beck and Jade were still in Canada visiting some of his family) catching up with what they had done over the holidays. I invited them all over for New Year's Eve; André accepted; the others already had family plans made.

And so it was that I spent the final evening of the year surrounded by friends, family and in the company of the man I love. I remembered thinking, as the clock struck midnight and the New Year began with us sharing a kiss and a dance, that life didn't get better than this.


	21. A Carless Caper

**AN: This is the first of three short chapters that I hope to upload fairly quickly. They all cover the same incident but the story switches between the PoVs of our couple, which is why I've split it this way.**

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><p><em>The Slap Mobile<em>

_Tori Vega:__Hate that my car is in the shop right now._

_Feeling: Demotorised_

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><p>I smiled at my girlfriend's latest update; although with her car out of action we had to arrange a more 'local' date, opting for a restaurant just off the UCLA campus (her dad drove her to my dorm and would collect her later in the evening). The place we chose had received some good reviews; one of the guys on my course had taken his girlfriend there last term and they had both loved it.<p>

So it was with high hopes that we walked from my dorm across campus and a few more blocks to the restaurant; my mind noted the alleyway we passed en route. In daytime we were ok but it would be dark when we left so we would have to exercise a little caution walking back to UCLA.

We entered the restaurant and were shown to our booth; our waitress handed us a couple of menus.

"What do you think?" Tori asked as she scanned the list of options.

"I think I'll try the lasagne" I replied. "I _do _like my lasagne." I cast my mind back to the disastrous date Sam and I had at Pini's; Carly sat at a nearby table to referee our arguments. A small smile grew on my face at the memory; while it wasn't a hugely happy memory in and of itself I could look back on it now (particularly now Sam and I had cleared the air over Christmas) as one of those events in life that were just part of growing up; no regrets, just part of what makes me who I am today. And with how happy I am at UCLA and with Tori, there's nothing I'd change.

Well, maybe not nothing – things are still difficult with mom. It really hurt her that we left straight after Christmas; she's too stubborn to accept that she did anything wrong and apologise for embarrassing me and I'm not going to apologise to her because if I do then she'll see it as proof that she was right and carte blanche to carry on treating me like a baby.

"So how's things with your mom?" my girl asked me as the waitress left with our order; Tori had followed my lead and ordered lasagne. Honestly it was as if she could read my mind the way she asked that just as mom was starting to dominate my thoughts.

"Nothing to report; we've spoken very briefly a couple of times – New Year and early last week – but that's been it."

"You'll work it out" she said with confidence. I had my doubts and they must have shown on my face because she persisted "You two love each other too much… in your own, unique ways" the corner of her mouth was beginning to form a smirk "you're her only son. Eventually you'll be fine."

I nodded in gratitude and turned the conversation to the new term. We had both been back at school for a week now and just getting into the swing of things. Andy and I would again be partners for the project this term and we were also study buddies for our first college tests that we would be sitting in about a month; they wouldn't count towards our major or our year score but would be an indication of how we were doing. I was fairly confident but would still be doing plenty of revision beforehand, of course. Tori and the rest of the HA gang, meanwhile, was beginning the push towards their finals and graduation; most of them were hoping to join me at UCLA next fall (Tori was torn between living at home and the two of us looking at getting somewhere together, probably with some of my friends and, perhaps, some of hers). She was just starting on the last of her new classes and was focussing heavily on music for the last semester (logical as her ambitions were in music rather than acting but any sort of performing would do for her). Our food arrived, interrupting conversation as we enjoyed our meal; the quality was indeed excellent and I would be adding myself to the list of people recommending this restaurant.

Having demolished our plates of lasagne we eyed the dessert menu with interest. I opted for the Neapolitan ice cream, Tori preferred cheesecake; we would, perhaps inevitably, share our desserts and enjoy a little of both. We talked a little more, enjoying, savouring our desserts and finishing our drinks before I paid the check and we departed the restaurant.

"That was a fantastic meal" I declared as I took Tori's hand and we began the walk back home.

"I know" she agreed. "I can't believe we never found this place before."

"Well there are a lot of restaurants in LA" I reasoned. "It's going to take a _long _time to visit them all."

"I guess so" she laughed.

I cast a wary glance as we approached the alleyway I'd noted earlier. I consciously quickened my place slightly and, as I had hold of her hand, Tori accelerated to match; she quickly appreciated what I was doing and why. Unfortunately we weren't quick enough and suddenly had three rather large goons for company. Very, very quickly the situation started to go bad for us and we found ourselves cornered and being pushed down the alleyway; the deserted street meaning nobody was going to come to our rescue.

The leering goons went into quite graphic detail about what they were planning to do to Tori; my fears for her were growing by the second and I knew I had to act. I let go of her hand and stepped in front of her, trying to back her into a corner so the goons would have to come through me to get to her. Their laughs and taunts suggested that they thought it was a foregone conclusion and, at three against one, they were probably right; my job was to keep her safe for as long as I could.

"Tori" I whispered quietly from the side of my mouth.

"Yeah?" she breathed.

"First chance you get – run; get away and call your dad then keep going. Get as far from these thugs as you can. GET TO SAFETY."

"I'm not leaving you alone…" she began but I cut her off.

"When you get a chance RUN FOR IT" I reiterated. I could tell she was reluctant but this wasn't up for discussion.

I used my right arm to block off one avenue of approach and shuffled round, keeping the thugs at bay. One stepped forward; I threw a left at him, connecting solidly with his jaw and rocking him back slightly. A glance to my left showed enough of a gap.

"RUN" I yelled; Tori heeded my instruction and took off. I put my body between goon #2 and her, hearing the reassuring sound of her footsteps rapidly getting further away. Knowing that she was fleeing gave me the confidence I needed; I didn't have to hold them off for _too_ much longer. Goon #2 made to give chase so I dived forwards, driving my shoulder just above his groin. It was enough to make him stumble; I grabbed his shirt, yanking him back and letting me put myself back between him and my escaping girlfriend. I chanced a look behind; there was no sign of Tori and I was relieved that she had made it back to the street and would soon be calling her dad to pick her up. Unfortunately I turned back to greet the fist of goon #3 square on the nose, jerking my head back. The impact meant my head caught the wall behind me, dazing me. A second blow caught my jaw, rocking me back again but I retaliated with a couple of quick blows sending the thug sprawling. However this had left me wide open to attack and his friend dived at me, drilling his shoulder into my solar plexus. By now goon #2 was upright and took the chance to swing on my jaw again. The combination of the blows robbed me of all strength and balance in my legs; one more punch sent me to the floor. I took one kick to the jaw and another to the midriff before the world went black.


	22. Mother and Son Reconciled

**AN: Chapter 2 of this little "three-shot" episode.**

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><p>"RUN" Freddie had yelled. I didn't want to leave him but he was adamant; he wanted me to be safe and I understood it. In all honesty I'd be of little use to him in a fight and would only distract him. So, reluctantly, I fled.<p>

I had run two or three blocks from the alleyway when I pulled out my pearphone to call my dad. As I did I spotted a cop across the street so I ran over to him instead. I quickly gave him my name, my dad's name, who my dad is and what was happening. The cop took it all in, radioed for back-up and an ambulance before he rushed to the alleyway with me close behind him.

We arrived in time to see the thugs stood around Freddie kicking him. The cop yelled, the goons looked at him and made a run for it. With three of them running and pushing past him the cop decided not to give chase; instead he waited with me by Freddie's side for the ambulance to arrive. Freddie was breathing but unconscious. It seemed to take an age but finally the ambulance arrived. I followed Freddie into it and we left for the Reagan Medical Center on the UCLA Campus.

As we arrived at the hospital I realised that I still hadn't called my dad and that, no matter what had happened, he was still waiting on my call to collect me from Freddie's dorm at the end of the night. I called him, my voice shaking as I recounted what had happened. He had left the house before our conversation finished and soon arrived at the hospital, bursting into the room where I stood watching my unconscious boyfriend.

He pulled me into a relieved hug and my stoicism crumbled; I burst into tears against his chest as the emotion of the incident overwhelmed me. I don't know how long I blubbed for but dad just hugged me close, trying to soothe me.

"What did they look like?" he asked, once I'd calmed down; he had heard the basics (there were three of them) from the cop I found nearby but he hadn't been able to get a good description.

"I dunno, just big and goony"

"Try to think Tori" he said, gently but impatiently. "Anything you can remember; height, build, hair colour, skin colour. ANYTHING that will help us to get them"

I thought hard; I remembered that two were white and one black. One of the whites was shaven-headed; the other had short brownish hair (though I couldn't be certain of the colour given how dark it was). I thought to other identifying marks; tattoos? Scars? I was having difficulty remembering exactly what any of them had in that regard but I did manage to provide a rough description of our assailants. One more person came into mind as I stopped to breathe and think about what had happened.

"Mrs Benson" I said suddenly. "I have to talk to her; I have to tell her what happened" and I left my boyfriend's room to find an area where cellphones were permitted.

I scrolled down the list of contacts and cursed as I realised I didn't have a number for Marissa. Scanning my list I got to Carly's name; at least she could tell Mrs Benson what had happened to her son. I pressed the call button.

"Hey Tori" the bubbly brunette greeted me in her jovial tones.

"Carly, listen" I began earnestly "I need you to see Mrs Benson as soon as you can."

"Uh ok" the confusion was evident in her voice. "She's home now I think, I'll go over. What's happened? Is Freddie alright" Confusion was swiftly giving way to panic.

"He's in hospital; these thugs tried to attack us on the way back from a restaurant. He held them off so that I could run. He's hurt pretty bad Carly, he's unconscious."

"Oh my God" she said softly and I could hear knocking on a door in the background. "Mrs Benson" I heard her voice faintly "Tori needs to talk to you."

"Yes, what is it Tori?" there was confused impatience in her voice. I could tell she didn't really want to talk to me, maybe blaming me in some part for our abrupt departure after Christmas, but the fact that I had called and wanted to speak to her, along with Carly's demeanour, must have piqued her curiosity.

"Marissa, Freddie's hurt; he's in hospital" and I told her what I'd told Carly.

Between her sobs, screams and general horror she told me she'd be on the next available flight to LA.

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><p>It was the longest night of my life. My dad told me to go home, my mom told me to go home and so did Trina when the pair arrived late in the evening but I refused; I wanted to be there when Freddie woke up and I wanted to be the first thing he saw. I spent the night endlessly pacing the room, not leaving his bedside for a second.<p>

Around 9 o'clock the following morning the door to the room burst open and Marissa stormed into the room, clutching at her chest when she saw her son laid on the hospital bed, still unconscious. To my surprise a second figure raced in behind her; it was Carly. She gave a gasp and a swallow as she took in Freddie's bruised and battered face, livid bruises on his jaw, a black eye, cuts to his arms and, though they were hidden to the eye, more bruises and damage to his midriff; the doctors had informed us that he had a couple of broken ribs. Our eyes met and she walked over to me, hugging me tight as I felt my tears welling up again.

Carly released me and I looked to Marissa; she was stroking Freddie's hair, tears in her eyes.

"He's a hero" I said, my voice shaking. His mom turned to look at me. "We were walking back to campus from a restaurant; my car's in the shop so we couldn't drive and as we were walking these three guys set on us. They… they wanted to… _do stuff_ to me. Freddie put himself between me and them and held them off while I ran to get help, and to get away from them. He's just so amazing…" I couldn't continue as I lost any semblance of control over my emotions. Carly slipped an arm round my shoulder and Marissa surprised me by taking me in her arms, her own tears falling freely.

"Do the doctors know when he'll wake up?" Carly asked, apprehension in her voice, when we regained our composure and disentangled ourselves from one another.

"Hopefully soon" answered a voice from the doorway; it was the doctor who had been checking on Freddie the previous evening when he was brought in. "From what we can tell there's no major head or brain trauma; he's been through quite the ordeal and probably blacked out through the pain. He's been out around 12 hours now?" I nodded; we'd arrived at the hospital at 9:54 the previous night; Freddie and I left the restaurant around 9 so the fight had happened 11-12 hours ago. "All we can do is wait for him to come round then."

"All we can do is wait" I echoed as I took Freddie's hand in my own, gently tracing my thumb on the back of it. "Come back to me Freddie" I whispered, lifting his hand and kissing it. Suddenly I felt a slight pressure on my hand. My eyes shot open and looked at his hand; it was moving slightly.

"Freddie!" I couldn't keep the joy from my voice. Marissa and Carly bounced to the bedside at this, looking eagerly at our boy. His eyes were still closed but a small smile was growing on his face. From the corner of my eye I could see my dad re-enter the room.

"Freddie!" Marissa repeated my shout. "Are you awake? Can you hear me?" His eyes shot open and he looked around, seemingly bewildered by both his surroundings and his audience.

"M – Mom? Carly? Tori?" his voice was weak and shaky but none of us cared; three smiling faces looked back at him.

"What do you remember?" I asked him as the doctor bustled to his side and began gathering various instruments together.

"Three guys… said they'd…" his eyes widened "Tori, did you get away from them?"

"Shhh. Yes Freddie I was fine, thanks to you, you saved my…" I didn't know how to finish. Innocence? Not really anymore. Self-respect? Dignity? They were probably the best words for it. I could feel my dad's eyes boring into me and I knew that he knew why I was at a loss for words. Freddie just smiled at me before his eyes focussed on his mom. Mother and son smiled at one another.

"How are you mom?" he asked.

"Never do this to me again young man" she began. "I was so worried when Tori called me last night, especially after how Christmas ended." She hesitated before continuing "I'm sorry Freddie, for embarrassing you."

He smiled at her. "I love you mom. I just hope that one day you can accept that I'm growing up!"

Carly took her turn in talking to Freddie and my dad tugged gently at my arm, guiding me away from the Seattle trio and outside the door to my guy's room.

"So that's why you keep wanting your mom and me to go away for the weekend" he stated. I gave him an embarrassed smile. "I can't say I'm happy about this" he continued "but this at least proves that he's as good a guy as you're going to get. I guess I don't have to kick his ass." He smiled slightly before dropping it. "I'm still going to have a little chat with Mr Benson though."

We looked through the door into the room. Freddie was being looked at by the doctor while Carly and his mom talked to him. I smiled at the sight, at the thought that things would be ok between him and his mom, at the thought that dad had discovered that I was sleeping with Freddie and didn't plan on ripping my man's head off. Mostly I smiled at the fact that he was going to be ok after last night's ordeal.


	23. Pain and Visitors

**AN: Many thanks, Lanternfan, for your reviews to the last couple of chapters; I'm glad you enjoyed them and found everyone to be in character. **

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><p>Waking up in a hospital room was a strange sensation. I started to come round with a strange pounding in my head and, even with my eyes shut, I could tell I wasn't waking where I usually did. The unfamiliar bed, the unfamiliar smell, the unfamiliar pain (my jaw ached, my ribs ached, and my nose didn't feel too good either)… but I could also feel a pressure on my right hand then I suddenly felt a pair of soft, gentle lips on it. I squeezed the hand gripping it slightly; it was an almost automatic and involuntary response before I heard my name being called, almost in elation.<p>

"Freddie!" the voice was Tori's.

"Freddie!" Is there an echo in here? That sounded like… my mom's voice. I opened my eyes, taking a moment to adjust to the light… light? Last thing I remember was the alleyway, it was dark, the goons…

I was hauled back to the here and now by the sight that greeted me as my vision came into focus; three smiling brunettes eyeing me with a blend of delight and apprehension on their faces.

"M – mom? Carly? Tori?" I didn't have much of a voice.

Tori asked what I remembered and my mind flew back to… I guess, I hope, that it was only last night; I've no idea how long I'd been out. The restaurant, the walk home, the thugs, what they said they wanted to do to her… oh my God. I looked at her; was she ok? Did she get away from them? All I wanted was to keep her safe from harm. The look on her face, her smile, her face being unblemished, her words – it all told me that she _was_ fine so whatever I'd been through had been worth it; I had to be certain though.

"Three guys… said they'd… Tori, did you get away from them?"

"Shhh. Yes Freddie I was fine, thanks to you, you saved my…" and then she trailed off awkwardly. From the corner of my eye I could see her dad was in the room; his expression changed as the cogs in his mind processed why his youngest daughter was at a loss for words. In spite of the pain and the situation I amused myself with the thought that, had I not already been in a hospital then I may be about to be admitted to one.

I turned my attention to my mom. There was a mingling of fear and relief in her eyes as she looked at me; memories of Christmas came flooding back and a feeling of regret swelled in my heart. Regret that we'd left so abruptly after Christmas and I hoped that she felt it too for pushing me into it; however that was a conversation for later.

"How are you mom?" I asked her.

"Never do this to me again young man" she began. "I was so worried when Tori called me last night, especially after how Christmas ended." She hesitated before continuing "I'm sorry Freddie, for embarrassing you."

I smiled at her; it looks like we're going to do this now then. "I love you mom. I just hope that one day you can accept that I'm growing up!"

Mom swooped down on me and I briefly wondered if there was danger of her suffocating me with how tight she was holding me. I lifted my left arm to hug her back, wincing in pain as I did; my injuries were even worse than I had originally thought. She must have registered the wince as she released me and gave me a concern-filled look as he righted herself. She then turned to the doctor and asked for a list of my injuries. Wow; three broken ribs, broken jaw, broken nose, dislocated shoulder (put back while I was out), a fairly comprehensive bruise collection – no wonder everything hurt; at least I didn't lose any teeth. I'm glad Mr Vega heard the litany as it means there are fewer places for him to swing at when he gets me alone…

I was surprised to see Carly stood there but she wore a similar look to that of my mom, clearly relieved that I was ok but crestfallen that I'd received so many injuries. It was good to see her again. Mr Vega decided he needed to have a discussion with his youngest daughter and they left the room as Carly stepped closer.

"We were so worried when Tori called last night" her soft voice was laced with fear and concern.

I tried to reassure her that I was fine. I'm not sure she believed me; my face probably suggested that I _wasn't_ particularly fine. She pulled me in for a gentle hug; seeing the pain my mom had unintentionally caused me probably tempered her actions somewhat. She surprised me by placing a soft kiss on my forehead and whispering "I'm glad you're gonna be ok" before gently clambering off me and returning to the floor.

"I gotta call Sam" she said suddenly and dashed out of the room; now it was just me, mom and the doctor. Mom immediately began plying him with questions; her medical knowledge meant that she could make it a thorough interrogation. She asked specifics about the injuries, how long I'd need to be in hospital, recovery times, any physio or rehab I may require. Before long she had cajoled quite an extensive list out of him; I had a feeling copies would be attached to a number of noticeboards around LA.

Carly disappearing to call Sam caused another thought to occur.

"Did Sam not want to fly down with you?" I asked mom.

"She wasn't at Carly's last night; I think it was Pam's annual 'Be a better mother day'" she added sniffily; _no Freddie, she apologised, now isn't the time to make snide comments on _your_ mom's parenting_… "Anyway Carly called her from the airport but she would have had difficulty getting there on time – and found it _very_ difficult getting the money together for the flight, last minute seats on a red-eye weren't cheap; worth every penny" she emphasised lest I think she resented paying out the cash to fly down to my bedside "but I doubt Pam or Samantha would be able to raise the cash given their… home circumstances" she concluded delicately. I smiled my understanding.

"She's relieved that you're ok" Carly's voice declared as she re-entered the room.

I gave her a look of surprise and noted drily "She's usually delighted when someone hurts me."

Carly responded with a reproachful look. "She really has grown up Freddie; she was concerned when we told her what had happened to you and she really wishes she could be here now." I opened my mouth to comment but she cut me off "_Not_ so that she could make your injuries worse" though the smile played on her lips as our eyes met, confirming that we were sharing that particular thought.

Mr Vega looked around the door with an announcement that he needed to head to work but that he'd look in later; he'd take the opportunity to get a formal statement from me (because he's Tori's father they'd need someone else to take _her_ statement) and he'd use that as an opportunity to look in later. He bade us farewell and my girls sat quietly with me until the groan of my stomach sent mom bustling for a nurse or someone to provide some food.

The surprises kept on coming as André suddenly walked through the door. He looked over to Tori and greeted her.

"Hey muchacha" before looking at me with a broad smile. "Man, the lengths you go to to keep that girl from her homework!"

"Oh my God André, I totally forgot we were meeting today. I'm sorry."

"Hey it's chill" the musician replied. "Your mom told me what went down last night; I'm just glad you're ok and Freddie's still breathing after all of it." The concern for us both was evident in his eyes and his tone.

"You should go" I told my girl. "If you guys have work to do, get it done."

"I'm not leaving you" she insisted.

I tried to tell her that I was fine, that Carly and my mom were there and that she should go and do what she needed to but she has a stubborn streak; she refused to leave so André simply joined the little gathering in my hospital room instead. Hot on his heels were Robbie, Cat, Beck and Jade; having learned the story from Mrs Vega André had let them know what happened and Beck had turned taxi driver to collect the gang and bring them to see us.

A nurse arrived with food and pointed out that too many people were now gathered around my bed; Mom, Carly and Tori backed out of the room very reluctantly to allow the newcomers a chance to talk to me while I ate.

"Was there much blood?" Oh Jade, you are the only person that could open with that question and in such a blunt, conversational tone.

Beck looked slightly aghast at his girlfriend's directness; I just smiled and confirmed that I did bleed a bit at the scene (according to Tori and the cop who brought me in anyway, I don't remember too much once the kicking started).

"Cool" A gleam flashed in the mean girl's eyes before it was extinguished by a gentle nudge from her long-haired boyfriend.

"Are you hurt badly?" Cat was far more sympathetic in her questioning. I went over the list of injuries the doctor had recited earlier; I think I remembered them all. The red velvet-haired girl's expression became more and more sombre as they continued to mount up; tears were threatening to well in her eyes when I had finished.

"You took all that for Tori" her voice was soft and carried a faint trace of awe.

"I did what it took to keep her safe" What else could I say?

Robbie complained that I was putting the rest of our gender to shame between this and the taco truck incident; I just laughed it off. Beck confirmed that you do whatever it takes to keep your loved ones safe, which sparked a playful argument with Jade over which one of them would do the protecting if _they_ were in that situation. I have to admit that I think if you put Jade up against a goon or two then I'd back here to win.

Mom felt she'd been away from my bedside for too long so André left to make room for her; he told me he and Tori would find a quiet corner of the hospital and begin their homework assignment. I asked him to take my cellphone to Tori and get her to call some of my college friends, in particular my roommate Tom and project partner Andy, to let them know what had happened; Tom as I obviously never made it back last night (he knew Tori wasn't driving so he'd have expected me back last night) and Andy so he didn't think I'd bailed on _our_ study session. André took my phone from the side of the room, where most of my stuff had been left when I was put in this bed, and headed to find my girl.

"That's two more visitors in the next ten minutes" I joked, though it proved to be prescient as my two friends joined party. Neither stayed long; they made sure that I was ok, Tom made a couple of unsubtle remarks about how my girl was going to thank me for this later (typical former High School jock really) and gave Cat an uncomfortably creepy look; Robbie looked angry at him, Jade looked ready to slug him. Andy, meanwhile, promised our project was in good hands and that, if I wasn't out of hospital or back in class tomorrow, he'd swing by with notes and information about what I'd missed (it turned out that they'd keep me in overnight for observation and order a couple of days of bed rest afterwards).

Mr Vega returned mid-afternoon on official business (at least in part). He took my statement, asked a few questions about the thugs, looked for descriptions; I gave all the detail that I could and he seemed happy that between us we'd described the trio. Now it was up to LAPD's finest to catch them.

Day moved into evening and finally people began to depart; despite the fact that I'd just laid there all day fatigue was setting in for me and the medical staff began clearing people out. Tori's friends left with waves, best wishes and a promise that they'd see me after school tomorrow. The Vegas, meanwhile, had offered Carly and my mom houseroom for a couple of days; they could only be away from Seattle, work, college and Sam for so long. Mr Vega asked Mrs Vega, who had arrived with Trina during the afternoon, and Tori to take their guests to her car; he wanted a little chat with me before he went back downtown and closed the door behind them leaving just the two of us in the room.

"Do you know how many times I've thought about how I would react to finding out a guy was sleeping with my little girl? Or how many different things I thought of doing to him?" His face was a mask and his tone even.

"Well at least those goons saved you the job of putting me in a hospital" I said, gesturing to our surroundings. He dropped his poker face for a second and allowed a small grin.

"Freddie, I'm her dad; that means it's difficult for me to feel that there's a guy on the planet who'd good enough for her."

"My mom thinks the same towards me" I interjected.

"You've been together for what, about six months now?" I nodded; we'd started dating last summer. "I guess I always knew this day would come eventually, as much as I want to lock her away and keep her from every guy until she's about seventy." He took a steadying breath and continued "What happened last night proved one thing; you're one of the good guys Freddie. Tori loves you – that much is obvious. You proved last night that you love her and are willing to do whatever it takes to keep her safe. As her dad I can't ask for more than that." I chose to remain silent and awaited his next comment. "So long as you keep looking after her, keep making her happy and keep her safe… you will always be welcome at our home, at _any_ time." It seemed he was talking through slightly gritted teeth but the meaning was clear; her dad, however grudgingly or unwillingly, approved of our relationship… all of it.

"I'm not going to tell her father he doesn't have to worry about her sir – again I know from my mom that it would be a waste of breath" he chuckled slightly "but I promise you, I will do everything in my power to make sure that she will _always_ be safe with me."

Her dad gave me a warm, genuine smile; I smiled back, though I made sure to not make it too cocky. Inside, however, I was feeling elated; I had gained his approval and his blessing to stay with Tori whenever we wanted to.


	24. The Road to Recovery

**AN: Thank you to everyone who is reading my work and particular thanks go to CartoonistGirl6 for her review. As for Freddie learning the guitar… well a couple of chapters ago I hinted that he may share a house with Andr****é**** and some of the others in the future so you never know…**

**On with the story and Freddie's continued recovery from their ordeal.**

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><p>The days following our ordeal were a difficult time for Freddie; he made a terrible patient (though I think a lot of that was to do with him mom fussing around him so much. Carly and my mom found it all very amusing, particularly as Freddie's frustrations with Marissa started to increase). It would be unfair to say she had gone back on her promise not to embarrass him but it was obvious that he felt "overnursed" by her; an annoyed cry of "mom!" threatened to become his catchphrase by early in the evening of the Monday.<p>

My man was still hurting badly but had been allowed to leave hospital that lunchtime. Mom and dad had said he could stay with us while he recuperated so mom, Marissa and Carly had brought him home from hospital and set him up on the couch for the afternoon. The four were conversing and watching TV as I got in from school and, when dinner was ready, Carly and I helped (in fact almost frogmarched) him to the table. Marissa didn't seem to approve of the stuff my mom had prepared but held her tongue (being a guest in someone else's house and all, plus the memory of Freddie and I leaving straight after Christmas; she was trying not to antagonise her son – and his girlfriend's family – if she could help it). So it was a pleasant atmosphere for the six of us over dinner with a further boost as dad got home towards the end of the meal; he brought news that one of the goons who set upon us was in custody – or at least they had someone who matched the descriptions Freddie and I had given – and he wanted us to attend a line-up to see if we could formally ID him. So, once dinner was finished, dad took the two of us to the station where we sat separately with different policemen and were asked whether we recognised any of them. Fortunately we both picked the same guy; on the way home dad told us they picked him up but his two buddies fled and that both of them matched the descriptions we'd given so it was extremely likely that they were our other two assailants.

"We'll get them" dad declared with confidence.

Back at home our families were waiting impatiently for news and were heartened by what we had to say. As we were talking about it Freddie's phone beeped; with difficulty and the occasional yelp of pain he withdrew the device from the pocket of his jeans and scanned the alert; he had received an e-mail from school carrying the day's work and lecture notes that he had missed. I scurried to my room to retrieve my laptop for him to use and he retired to the couch to catch up. Carly lamented that she _would_ do the same, but it would require Sam to show up for lectures; instead she texted one of her other coursemates to see if she could receive the work from them instead. I, meanwhile, made a start on my own homework while Marissa and my mom began preparation for a little party to celebrate the facts that Freddie and I were ok and that goon #1 was in custody.

Around 10 minutes later, just as my friends were arriving to join the fun, Carly got a call from Sam; they chatted for a couple of minutes before the blonde asked to talk to Freddie. From his side of the call it sounded like a friendly discussion, though there was the occasional exasperated response from my man. He was, however, in high spirits at the end of the call. I hadn't expected everyone to show, having just seen Freddie yesterday, but, as André explained, "we're here for the party to celebrate Freddie being out of hospital". He, Jade, Beck, Cat and Robbie made themselves at home and Cat began fussing over Freddie with the guys chatting with him. Jade pulled me to one side and asked about how _I_ was feeling after all of it; her attitude towards me really has changed in these past few months.

"I dunno" I admitted to her. "When I stop to think about it I just feel utterly overwhelmed by what he did for me. And when I think about what _would_ have happened if it hadn't been for Freddie" and I shivered involuntarily. In a most unJadelike way she wrapped an arm around my shoulder before quickly releasing me lest anyone spot her doing so.

"He's ok and you're ok" she said in a low voice. "Just focus on that and move on."

Trina prevented any extension of the conversation by feeling ignored and going to bed complaining loudly amid the shaking heads and rolling eyes of my peers. Carly, meanwhile, was just happy to see everyone again and have the opportunity to catch up with them, especially Cat and Jade. The guys, meanwhile, took heart with the news that one of the thugs had been arrested and enjoyed discussing Freddie's injuries with him; Freddie met their light jibes with jovial bravado. Perhaps unsurprisingly Jade found herself eager to enter their conversation once they started discussing injuries…

Mom, dad and Marissa, meanwhile, were talking together leaving "the kids" to it – though Marissa made regular trips over to check on her son, leading him to try to swat her away and then wince in pain at the rapid movements of his tender arms. This only served to escalate her mothering, which in turn increased _his_ annoyance, and increased the entertainment value of everyone viewing the spectacle.

Finally fatigue began to get the better of Freddie so my friends decided to leave us for the night. I did notice that Freddie had been a little fidgety throughout the evening; when questioned he noted that it was extremely difficult for him to get comfortable and find a position that didn't hurt. He suggested that, rather than my room, he may be better off on the couch so as not to disturb anybody else if he couldn't sleep due to the pain and awkwardness he was feeling. He was roundly shouted down however; Carly actually volunteering to take the couch herself so Marissa could keep an eye on him (Freddie _really_ didn't like the idea of that!) but ultimately I did drag, well half-carry actually, my boyfriend to my room.

"So what did Sam have to say?" I asked while I massaged his bare body, trying to alleviate some of the pain and make him more comfortable.

"She actually seemed to be concerned" he said, a hint of surprise in his tones. "_You had me worried Fredward; I know I don't say it often but I do care about you and I was scared when Carly told me you were badly hurt_."

"Aww, it's nice that she cares."

"Yes" he continued, "but then she had to revert to type. _Next time you want a beating you can just ask me to do it rather than going looking for a fight you nub!_"

I had to laugh at that; it was good that the tension was broken a little because this was the first time I'd got him alone since it happened and I knew I had to take the opportunity.

"You risked _everything_ for me Freddie" I whispered softly, leaning close to him without putting pressure anywhere that would hurt him. "I can never thank you enough for it."

He winced with the jabs of pain elicited by gently placing his hands on top of mine; I was still kneading his muscles. He looked deep into my eyes and replies with a voice conveying absolute sincerity.

"You don't need to thank me Tori; I love you and I'd do anything to keep you safe."

I could see that love shining brightly in his eyes and leaned in to kiss him softly, tenderly, mindful of his pains. I traced feather-light kisses down his jaw, on his bruises, doing everything I could not to hurt him while I kissed, following the trail of bruises and breaks up and down his body, making sure I gave attention to every single one of them. Having completed my task I crawled up the bed to gaze at his handsome, wounded face; his eyes were closed and his smile contented so I curled up at his side, pressed tight against him and let sleep take me – or at least I tried to. True to his prediction Freddie struggled for comfort; some regular massages helped him – and me – get some sleep off and on during the night but morning found two sleep-deprived teens struggling out of bed to survive another day.

* * *

><p>"Sleep well?" Ugh Carly, your voice is too bouncy on a morning like this. We explained why we hadn't slept so well. "I did offer you my bed" the brunette told my man. We just traded a look and a small smile.<p>

She and Marissa had to return to Seattle later today but would be spending the day with Freddie keeping an eye on him while the Vega clan were out at work and school; I'd drive them to the airport when I got home.

School began with news of a new play that Sikowitz was encouraging us to audition for. Having played the lead last time I was likely to get a lesser role this time but went for the lead, among others, anyway. It meant that I would be competing with Cat and Jade again but also, to my mild surprise when I saw the list of who had signed up, with Alicia from my make-up classes last semester. As she was in 10th grade she was unlikely to land the lead but I guess she may as well go for it; a little more experience of auditioning and all. I was thankful that the auditions weren't today; I was wiped from my lack of sleep yesterday (at least tonight Freddie will probably be in the spare room now Carly and Marissa have vacated it if the pain is still bothering him). People I barely knew kept coming up to me and asking how Freddie was; it seemed the internet, or at the very least Hollywood Arts, was alive with the story of what had happened on Saturday night so I found myself fending them off and ultimately prepared a stock reply so I could just give everyone the same answer as I was finding it impossible to move around the school without being impeded and interrupted by people desperate for news (even Sikowitz had asked after him and would have spent all lesson asking for details had Jade not rescued me with unsubtle recommendations that we move onto the reason we were actually in the class – i.e. to learn and hone our acting skills).

Finally the day ended and I arrived home to find Freddie in good spirits; he was feeling better now that the doctor had visited with some new pain meds which meant he was more comfortable and could walk unaided without too much distress. We felt, however, that a trip to the airport may be a bit too far at the moment so instead he kissed his mom goodbye, gave Carly a kiss on the cheek, thanked them both for coming down to see him in hospital (which again was shouted down by the pair; both said they were just happy to see that he was ok).

* * *

><p>"I don't know how he does it" Carly piped up from the back seat of my car. "How he's always just so selfless. I thought him amazing when he saved my life – then he did what he did for you Tori; all I can say is that you've got the best guy on the planet girl!"<p>

Her endorsement made me smile. "I know" I grinned happily.

Marissa remained silent and subdues during this conversation; she seemed deep in thought so I left her to her musings, confident that she wouldn't hold her tongue when the time came. Her words came as their flight was called.

"My son loves you Tori and you've seen that he'll do _anything_ for you. Look after him for me."

"I will, Marissa, I promise."

I hugged her and then Carly before waving the pair back to Seattle and driving home where I found Trina on her tennis computer game, watched by Freddie who wore an expression on his face that blended amusement and bewilderment; a look I know all too well when people are around my older sister.

"Did they get away ok?" he asked me. I nodded and slid onto the couch next to him, taking his hand in between mine.

"How are you feeling?"

"Better; things don't hurt as much as they did."

"Are you up to making out for a while?"

"I won't know until I try" he said with a huge smile and we brought our lips together for a kiss filled with all the passion, desire and love that we shared; saying the things we couldn't express with mere words. His arms wrapped around my back with no detectable pain on his part (at least there was nothing that caused him to wince into the kiss or flinch with his arms). It was the sight that greeted my parents when they walked through the door; a glance towards Trina showed that she was steadfastly focussed on her game, though I got the feeling that she was forcing more focus than ever so as to not have to look at us.

Predictably my parents chose this precise moment to return home; Dad donned a slightly forced smile at the sight of Freddie and me making out on the couch (mom's smile looked far more sincere). My guy may have dad's blessing but I guess it will still take some time for him to be happy about seeing us like that. Reluctantly we separated as familial chit-chat began; mom and dad made their way to the couch, Trina ended her game amid complaints that she couldn't concentrate with people talking. She made to sit between Freddie and I but there was no gap for her to squeeze into (plus my parents and I insisted that she shower first after her exertions, which she did after complaining vociferously). Dad told us there was no news on the attempts to capture the two remaining thugs; he remains confident, however, that they WILL be caught soon.

The subject turned to what people wanted to eat; nobody wanted to cook (apart from Freddie but my parents wouldn't let him; not until he's fully healed anyway) so we ordered Chinese take-out; Freddie emulated Cat in choosing sweet-and-sour chicken, orange chicken for me, Szechuan Pork for Trina and Roast Duck Mandarin for mom and dad. I was enjoying a pleasant meal with my family and boyfriend, although the looks Trina was casting at us were getting more and more frequent, her expression definitely souring as they did. Finally, as we were finishing our meals, my patience with my sister snapped after one glower too many.

"What?" I shot at her, causing all eyes in the room to train on her; her embarrassment started to rise at the realisation of this, and at being called out by me. Freddie covered my hand with his own and turned his attention to me, a slight expression of concern on his face before I looked back at my sister, still awaiting her response. She lowered her head to stare wordlessly at her empty plate for a few seconds before dashing off to her room; her breath was hitching and something sounding suspiciously like a sob left her throat.

We traded looks around the table before mom shrugged and returned to the remnants of her meal; dad followed suit as if nothing had happened. Freddie, having just finished before the show began, set his chopsticks down and planted his lips softly on my cheek.

"I'll go talk to her" he whispered and hobbled away from the kitchen and upstairs.

He returned a couple of minutes later; Trina emerged a few moments behind him and wearing a half-smile.

"Later" he promised in answer to my quizzical expression and we sat cuddling in front of the TV with Trina sat on Freddie's other side; I noticed she was sat a little further from him than was normal or necessary.

"What movie is this?" I asked mom and dad curiously; they were sat on the other couch. Nobody seemed to know, or recognise it, but we found it a mindless enough way to pass the evening until, still pleading fatigue, Freddie decided to go to bed; he wished my family goodnight as he did. I also felt tired (having not slept much last night) but also wanted to be with him so I followed shortly after, locking the door as I entered my room and smiling as I took in the sight of Freddie in my bed, nose buried in a book. He glanced up and grinned as I made my way to the bed; it widened to a full smile as I told him casually

"I can think of better things than that book for you to be looking at tonight" and leaned in for a kiss.


	25. Tori Takes Requests I

**AN: Thanks as ever to everyone who is reading this story and, particularly, to Cartoonist Grirl6 for reviewing the last chapter. This latest instalment re-works one of the Tori Takes Requests clips on **_**The Slap**_** website. I figured after recent incidents that our couple deserved an out-and-out screwball comedy.**

* * *

><p>I got a very strange call from my girlfriend this morning before class; she told me she was going to pick me up after school because she needed me all weekend. Sounds good to me so far; she did add, though, that she wanted me to film something for a 'Tori takes requests' scene – apparently she gets posts on <em>The Slap<em> asking her to do weird stuff and then films herself doing it; I don't get it. Still, she asked and it's a great opportunity to spend the bulk of the weekend with her so I was ready and waiting with my camera when she swung by campus late afternoon.

"Hey cheekbones" I greeted her with a kiss.

"You guys are all the same; you only see one thing" she joked, swatting my arm playfully. "It's good to see your bruises have faded a bit" she added softly, turning her head to examine my jaw.

It was true; I looked less battle-scarred now. I was slowly healing, plus Robbie had loaned me some of his infamous male make-up and I had been applying a little over my wounds, especially while I was at work, so I didn't terrify anyone.

We arrived at the Vega house; Tori had filled me in on what the request would involve. I'd told her, for the record, that I thought it was mean; she argued that it was all a bit of fun – and that Trina had done worse to her before now. I set up the camera to point at us while we looked at her laptop and switched it on.

"Hey-dee-oh-dee-duh-doh-doh; it's me, Tori"

"Hey-dee-oh-dee-duh-doh-doh?"

"Shut up" she muttered from the corner of her mouth.

"Hey, I'm Freddie; it's Friday and I'm just hanging at Tori's."

"Alright, as I often do I'm gonna go on my Slap page… clicking now… and I am gonna read a request."

"Ooh, let me read it" I piped up.

"Ok"

"Hey Tori, I wanna see you scare your sister at least seven times." I turned to my girl biting back the urge to ask why anyone would want to see this. "Think you can do it?" I settled for.

"Uh maybe, my weekend is pretty free. We should video it, yeah?"

In resigned tones I concurred. "Sure. Don't forget" I reminded her "I have work tomorrow, but we should be able to get it done tonight, tomorrow night and maybe some of Sunday."

"Yay" my girlfriend concluded, giving me a hug and peck on the cheek for the camera.

* * *

><p>Tori's first opportunity came an hour later; Trina was sat watching TV with us and headed to the bathroom, taking some of her beauty products with her.<p>

"Turn the camera on" Tori whispered as she stood in wait just around the corner from the bathroom door.

Sure enough as her sister left the bathroom Tori leapt round the corner screaming, causing her to jump and drop her products and yell "TORI!"

My girl just turned to the camera. "One" she declared.

After that Trina skulked off to her room for a while; the two of us stayed in the living area watching a movie before the elder Vega sibling returned downstairs to fix herself some cereal.

"Shh" Tori placed a finger on her lips, motioning to me to switch the camera on again and follow her. She snuck up behind Trina before yelling and grabbing her. Again Trina jumped, this time sending cereal everywhere around their kitchen.

"What is WRONG with you?" she shrieked while my girl celebrated, turning to the camera with a cry of "Two."

Again Trina decided that her room was preferable to being downstairs with us; she stomped off upstairs slamming her bedroom door behind her. I felt a little uncomfortable, and bad for her, but Tori was giggling with glee; not having any siblings I don't get the whole rivalry and bickering thing. Again Tori assured me that it was all good-natured really, and that sometimes taking her sister down a peg or two just _had_ to be done. She also gave me some stories of stuff Trina has done to her over the years so she claimed it was "long overdue pay-back".

After the movie ended we went to bed. We lay cuddling together when a thought struck me.

"I thought Trina had said _nothing_ scared her anymore; y'know, after she saw your grandmother naked that time."

I felt Tori shudder slightly against me at that thought and allowed myself a small smile at her discomfit.

"Obviously _I_ can scare her" she reasoned, turning in my arms and seeking out my lips.

We had just finished breakfast the following morning and I was getting ready to go to work (Tori would drive me there and back) when we heard Trina's door opening. With a gleam in her eye my girl crept to the space under the stairs. I sighed, rolled my eyes but dutifully switched my camera on as Trina jogged downstairs holding her purse.

As her sister reached the foot of the stairs Tori emerged from her hiding place with a loud scream, causing Trina to drop her purse.

"STOP DOING THAT!"

A smile for the camera and call of "Three" were Tori's only responses.

* * *

><p>My shift at work was passing quickly; I'd been put on repairs and upgrades today so I had little to do with any actual customers. Before I realised it I was being sent for my lunch break; I called Tori to see how she was – she hadn't pulled any more stunts on her sister but had a couple of ideas. I wasn't sure I really wanted to know so I chose not to ask. I called Carly as well; she's been checking in regularly ever since her recent impromptu visit. Things are good for her at the moment, Sam too; school seems to be going well for them both. I mentioned what we were doing with Tori's request; like me she thought it was rather mean but she made a note to watch it once we'd uploaded the finished clip to <em>The Slap<em>.

My afternoon continued in similar vein; I spent most of it away from the counter or shop floor simply working on items that had been booked in. I clocked out at the end and met my girl; she was leaning against her car waiting for me.

"Miss me?" I greeted her, planting a gentle kiss on her cheek.

"Always" she murmured, pulling me in for another kiss. "You wanna get take-out on the way home?"

"Sounds good"

We collected our food from the local take-out, the same Chinese we had visited just after I got out of hospital. This time it was just dinner for two; Trina and their parents had eaten earlier, Tori wanted to wait for me. As we were eating Trina emerged from upstairs, walked past us with minimal acknowledgement, picked up a glass and retrieved some juice from their fridge. Tori took the opportunity; she handed me my camera and moved stealthily into the kitchen. As her sister turned from the fridge Tori broke into a run, yelling as she did. Trina dropped the juice and glass in response, smashing the latter (though fortunately the juice bottle's cap was still in place).

"I'm telling mom and dad!" she complained and stormed off.

"Four" declared Tori in satisfaction.

"Don't you think you should cool it?" I suggested in concern.

"Nah, we've only three more to do."

It would be mid-morning on Sunday before Tori seized her next opportunity; Trina went to the store and Tori was lying in wait as soon as she pulled her car back into the driveway.

"Ok here she comes" my girl whispered. "Quick, turn the camera on."

She stood behind the door waiting for her sister to come through; Trina did so, holding her purchases in front of her. Tori leapt out again with a shout, causing Trina to drop her bag with a shriek.

"Why do it?" she demanded.

"Five" said Tori, looking at me and my camera with a smile and waving a spread palm at it.

We retired to Tori's room for a while to allow Trina's ire to dissipate somewhat. Emerging an hour later we found Trina utterly engrossed in browsing her catalogue on the dining table. For reasons I never understood Tori decided to don a fake moustache for this "scare". She crept behind Trina and grabbed her around her neck causing her, once again, to jump in fright and to scream.

"That made my heart stop!" she berated her little sister, hitting her with the catalogue as she did.

"Six" trilled Tori with undisguised delight.

Lunch gave Tori the opportunity to complete the request; Trina was sat eating on the couch, absorbed in her TV show. My girlfriend tip-toed behind her before yelling. Trina screamed as she jumped, her food flying everywhere.

"I HATE THAT" she bawled as she turned to her sister.

"Seven" Tori celebrated.

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><p>We ended the sketch as we started it, sat side-by-side in front of the camera and Tori's laptop. I had spent part of the afternoon editing the footage and tidying it up; it was time to sign off.<p>

"And you're welcome" Tori smiled into the camera before switching it off.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I felt a little sorry for Trina while I was writing this. The clip itself is quite funny, but it <strong>_**was**_** rather mean to her – as is typical of the show really.**


	26. Tori Takes Requests II

**AN: Hello to my readers; thanks to all who continue to read it and special thanks to my reviewers – your feedback is always appreciated.**

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><p>I awoke with a start; looking at my bed-side clock told me that the time was just after 4 a.m. My dreams had ebbed away; all I could recall was that a scream had roused me from my slumbers. I gazed around my room in bewilderment, squinting as I tried to take in what little light there was and make sense of what had woken me up. Had Trina had a nightmare? I know I scared her a little recently but surely not enough to cause nightmares! My confusion turned to surprise as my door burst open and my dad charged in, mom in hot pursuit.<p>

"Sweetie, are you ok?" my dad's concern-laden voice enquired.

"Uh yeah, other than being woken by Trina's scream" I replied, bewildered as to why they'd come to check on me.

"That wasn't me!" drawled my elder sister as she joined the party. "You woke me up Tori and I wanna know why."

"We all do" my mom told me sympathetically, taking a seat on my bed near my feet. Dad sat near my midriff and placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. "What made you scream like that?"

"I didn't realise that I had" I admitted, now utterly perplexed by the night's occurrences.

"Well you did" Trina complained huffily before turning on her heel and returning to her own room. Having reassured themselves that I was ok my parents followed her out the door and I tried to get back to my own dreams.

* * *

><p><em>The Slap Mobile<em>

_Trina Vega: Tired and cranky. Thank you Tori!_

_Feeling: Wazzed_

My sister's mood was not improving because my woes continued for the next couple of nights; again I roused the house with my screams, again my family rushed to my room and again Trina complained that I was disturbing her sleep. Worst of all, for me anyway, I could still remember nothing of my dreams; all I knew was that a scream was waking me – and that it was my own.

By now dad was suggesting that I talk to someone, perhaps Lane rather than seeing a shrink just yet. I made a mental note to try to make an appointment when I returned to school on Monday. In the meantime I had the weekend to look forward to; as usual for a Saturday Freddie was at work today but I would be picking him up afterwards and we were going to have a nice meal and evening together before returning to my place. I spent the morning with André; we still had our project to work on (he had written a song and asked me to do the vocals for him; I would be happy to do it for him anyway, that I could claim credit for one of my own music classes was a bonus) and we made a lot of progress over a few hours. After that I met Cat for lunch at the Green Meadow mall. She knew of my recent 'troubles' but unfortunately, being Cat, she was unable to suggest anything useful; it merely elicited an anecdote from her brother's problematic life.

"One time" she had interrupted "my brother fell asleep and then woke up screaming. Oh wait; that's most nights" and her face fell at the recollection.

I decided the time was ripe to change the subject; school seemed a safe topic while we finished our meals from the food court so we discussed projects, forthcoming plays (Jade was to cast her in another of her short plays; this time the school had agreed to put it on after how well received "Well Wishes", or at least the _proper_ version, had been). Afterwards we went on to spend a fun afternoon roaming some of the stores before she headed home and I left to pick up Freddie.

As ever my man was waiting outside the store, his gorgeous smile in place as my car pulled up. He continued our regular routine as he slid into the passenger seat, greeted me with a kiss, soft, tender but full of promise and we exchanged small talk about our days on the drive to the restaurant.

I had yet to tell Freddie of my interrupted sleep; I was resolved not to spoil his meal and I felt that the news could wait for the drive back to Hollywood Hills. Instead I smiled my way through dinner at Nozu; Freddie would later divulge that he wasn't really a fan of the food there (hey, works for me, the proprietor is crazy!) but as we've said: there are a lot of restaurants out there for us to try.

As I expected Freddie's reaction was one of concern when he learned of my nightmares. We speculated as to the cause, our recent ordeal was the most obvious thing (although Freddie's sleep hasn't suffered any ill effects; or at least none that he's admitted to). He echoed my dad's suggestion that I talk to someone about it. In the meantime, however, I was determined to just enjoy the rest of the weekend with my boyfriend.

Once home I checked my e-mails and _Slap_ profile; there was the usual bizarre set of suggestions for my _Tori Takes Requests_ segment but one or two looked doable at least. Freddie set up his trusty camera and I began the sketch.

"Ok, it's me Tori and umm… it's been a while since I've taken a request for my Slap page because… honestly? A lot of the requests were weird… like _weird_." I sighed at the thought of the suggestions I'd discarded and continued "I started this whole 'Tori Takes Requests' thing because I thought maybe people would ask me to sing a song or I dunno… do a cool dance or maybe make a sandwich but nobody ever wants me to do anything normal so… I dunno." I sighed again. "Alright, I'll give it another shot… ok; let's see what you guys want me to do this time. Uh… oh ok here's one. 'Hi Tori, this is very important to me, I want to see a video of you with another person.'" I noticed Freddie's eyebrows rise several inches. "Not _that_ kind of video Freddie" I laughed at him. "We'll cut this bit, right?" and he laughed back. "Ok, back to it… 'I want you to put glue all over on your hand then let the glue dry, then have the other person peel the glue off your hand. And the whole time please play the song you sang in the Big Showcase. Also the person who helps you with the glue should be someone you don't like very much.'" I shook my head in bewilderment at this point.

"Someone you don't like very much?" Freddie echoed. "Why not just call a Jade a Jade?"

I stifled a laugh as I eyed my man. "Freddie, nobody likes a smartass."

"You _love_ ONE though, don't you?" he grinned wickedly.

"I do" I agreed, leaning in to kiss him.

* * *

><p>I called my dark-haired friend that night to check on her plans; she was with Beck (predictably) but promised that she would come over in the morning for the skit. These days it was a stretch to claim we didn't like each other very much but she was the closest person to that description (well, except maybe Trina).<p>

When she arrived Freddie trained the camera on us and we were ready to begin…

"Hi, I'm here with Jade"

"I'm not thrilled to be here." She really can play a part well; it's all screen-time and publicity for us both after all.

"Did you bring the glue?" I asked.

"Glue" she proffered it.

"Open it" I instructed "and I will start the music."

"What song?"

"Make It Shine; sung by me."

"Can we listen to anything else?"

"No!" and I started the music. "Ok, let me apply the glue to my hand" and we squeezed it liberally over my palm before repeating the action on the back of my hand. "Now rub it around" Jade complied with my request. I turned back to the camera. "Now we wait for fifteen minutes."

"So the glue can dry" she interjected and I paused my Pearpod while Freddie switched off the camera.

Jade grinned wickedly and asked "Do you know how easy it would be for me to glue your hand to your head or something?" She didn't look like she was _entirely_ joking and Freddie laughed at our little exchange.

"Uh, why don't you start editing what we've got so far in my room" I suggested to my man.

"I can do that here and we can all look at it while I do" his tone was confused. Oh Freddie, take a hint.

"Freddie; your girlfriend wants some girl-talk and you're not a girl. Go away." I can always rely on Jade to be blunt and to the point. Freddie took _this_ hint.

"I guess I'll be in your room for the next fifteen minutes" he told us and disappeared with his camera.

"So what do you wanna talk about?" she asked without preamble once he'd gone.

"I'm not sleeping" I confessed. "I wake up, night after night, screaming; it wakes mom, dad and Trina. Last night was the first night all week it hasn't happened and that's probably because I spent the night in Freddie's arms; I felt safe with him there." I lowered my head, feeling embarrassed to admit what was going on.

"You went through a major ordeal Tori; those goons were going to _rape_ you. I'm not surprised you're freaked about it." Her voice was laced with empathy I'd scarcely believe her capable of, even with us being _real_ friends now.

"If _only_ the cops would get the other two" I said, unsure of whether I was explaining to her or rationalising it for myself "I think it would really help; knowing all three were off the streets."

"No news on them getting the others then?"

I shook my head. "Dad's still confident but the cops haven't caught them yet."

"They will" she reassured me. I smiled gratefully at her before turning the conversation towards her life, asking her how things were between her and Beck (pretty good). She bustled round the kitchen to get herself a coffee while I sat there willing my gluey hand to dry. The two of us exchanged a little more small talk while she drained her cup.

The timer buzzed, informing us that our fifteen minutes were up. I called Freddie and he returned, setting his camera up again as Jade and I resumed our positions.

"Ok, we're back" I declared once Freddie rolled the camera. I switched the music back on; it drew an exaggerated sigh from Jade. "Now Jade will peel dried glue off my hand."

"Yes I will" she enthused.

"There it goes, there it goes" I felt an amused excitement as small films of glue were removed from my hand.

"This feels _so_ good" Jade sounded genuine.

Just then she found a particularly large piece of glue film and pulled delicately at it, so not to tear it as it came away from my skin.

"Oh that's a good one. That's a good one right there!"

"Oh" we cried in unison as it came away. We began laughing at the sight of the glue being pulled away. Finally it was all peeled off, Freddie stopped filming and we celebrated with a round of Wahoo punch.

"That was actually fun" Jade noted, not even trying to keep the surprised tone from her voice.

"Great stuff girls" Freddie enthused "it looked really good. I'll get it edited today and you should be able to upload it tonight Tori."

I thanked my man and returned to my drink. Having completed the sketch I found myself returning to brooding over my nightmares. Like I'd said to Jade I felt things would be better once I knew they were off the street. I was utterly detached from whatever Freddie and Jade were saying to one another, lost as I was in my fears. Her hand shaking my shoulder roughly brought me back to the here-and-now; Jade was going home.

"Are you _sure_ you're ok?" she asked with concern.

"Yes" I insisted. "Thanks for asking; I'm gonna be fine."

"Ok, I'll see you tomorrow" and she departed, passing Trina in the doorway as my sister returned from wherever she'd been this morning.

"Hey sister" she cried before turning to my boyfriend with a smile. "Hey Freddie." Her gaze returned to me "At least you didn't wake me up last night" and she breezed upstairs leaving just Freddie's concerned look in my direction behind her.

"Will you stay here tonight?" I asked him. "I can drive you to college on my way to school in the morning."

"I'll stay as long as you want" he promised, his soft eyes meeting my own; again I felt safe and secure in his presence.


	27. The Nightmare Ends

**AN: Hello to all my readers and welcome to the latest instalment of this tale. Thanks as always go to all who have read and, especially, those who have reviewed my work; your input is always appreciated.**

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><p>I sat back on the couch and closed my eyes, just taking a few moments to reflect on recent events. Freddie couldn't stay over <em>every<em> night (especially with his college exams going on at the moment) and I missed his strong presence by my side but things had been a little better since my talk with Jade. I was able to sleep a bit easier; no longer was I being awakened by my own screams – though I did still sleep lighter than I had before that fateful night; I kept waking up, glaring at the clock, dozing off, waking up again. Lack of sleep was making school a little more difficult but I was determined not to let my grades slip so I threw myself into homework and enlisted my friends to help me when I felt I was struggling. They had responded to the challenge with voracious enthusiasm and their assistance was proving invaluable to me as I attempted to avoid drowning in a sea of work.

Like my boy I had end-of-unit tests and exams to survive; though unlike him I was steadily building up my credits as High School neared its conclusion. Joining Freddie at UCLA was my logical next step; I was quietly confident that I'd get in given my ever-expanding resume (which included my infamous stint as a stunt double), decent grades and the fact that the interview involved something of an audition. If I nailed it then, provided I kept up with my classes, there should be no problems getting on to the course I wanted. The 'audition' would involve them e-mailing me a song and I had to learn the words and sing it, putting "my own, unique stamp" on it and then hoping that they liked what they heard; the interview was a month or so away yet and they would e-mail me the song a week beforehand.

That was for the future though; back in the here and now I needed to get through the next few weeks, the next big performance and the next showcase. I was driving myself endlessly, remorselessly forwards (we all were). All the while schoolwork was piling up, classes were getting more difficult, rehearsals were getting more and more frequent, singing classes were becoming a daily hour of torture (I had to ace these classes if I was serious about getting on my college course) and on top of all of them I was helping André out by singing another of his songs for his song-writing class (he was also working on his first album for the record label he signed with). By the middle of the week it was becoming exhausting and my lack of sleep was getting ever more pronounced; it was all I could do to survive one day to the next, wishing every night that tonight would be the night that my brain finally switched off and allowed me to sleep.

My wishes would not come true; night after night was ticking by in the same vein. I had seen Lane about it without any noticeable benefit; he observed that it was almost certainly down to anxiety and something of a vicious circle that I was stuck in (I couldn't sleep because I was anxious about the goons being out there, then I was becoming anxious about not sleeping, which caused me to have more trouble in trying to sleep). All I could do was hope that one day soon the other thugs would be caught and put away, and that that would provide the relief I was seeking and lead to me rediscovering a functional sleeping pattern.

Teachers, too, were noticing my troubles; Sikowitz commented on my unusually dishevelled and distracted look during his acting class and my singing teacher noted that my voice seemed devoid of its usual power (though he disputed Robbie's allegation that I sounded flat or off-key). I just continued struggling and muddling along, working as best as I could and holding everything together throughout the week.

Finally Friday afternoon arrived and the school week ended; Freddie came over for the weekend (apart from his shift at work; as usual I'd drive him there and back, via somewhere for us to go for dinner). I was looking forward to my Freddie time more than ever before; at the moment on a night we spent together he was more than just my boyfriend, he was my security blanket and he gave me the safe feeling I needed to temporarily tame my night devils and sleep through. I collected him after we'd finished our respective school days, first giving him a couple of hours to spend with his friend Andy working on their latest assignment and a little revision (I spent the extra time with Jade and Beck in the library getting some of _our_ homework done), and we went back to my house. Mom was cooking rather than us going out for dinner tonight and this Friday night was to ultimately prove memorable, starting as it did with dad coming home bearing the best news imaginable to me.

"We got them!" Dad's words were delivered with delight and they elated me. A look to Freddie showed the relief on his face as he embraced me tightly and with a huge smile. I felt my eyes welling up with tears of relief and spent a few hugely enjoyable moments buried against his burly chest as I attempted to rediscover some semblance of my composure.

We pressed my dad for details and he explained how the cops had seen two guys matching the description I gave a few blocks from the scene of the ambush; the cop I'd found while Freddie was being beaten had been on duty at the time and, from what he'd seen of them, he had recognised them. That they attempted to flee when they saw the LAPD boys also implied wrong-doing on their part.

Once arrested they had eventually confessed to their part in the attack; this meant, thankfully, that neither Freddie nor I would have to ID them. It also meant that we shouldn't have to worry about them again for a long time.

"This calls for a celebration" mom declared jovially before turning to us. "Kids, pick a restaurant; we're going there tomorrow night."

Freddie and I looked at one another. "Can we let you know in the morning?" I asked "We're gonna have to think over some of our favourites – or any that we still want to try."

Mom nodded and smiled before returning to the task of preparing tonight's meal. It would, predictably, become a celebration for us; every moment that went by I could feel the tension and anxiety draining from my body. I made quick calls to Jade and André to share the good news; they were, naturally, delighted to hear it. Freddie, too, seemed more relaxed during dinner; he was just about healed now, though still tender around his ribs.

Nobody seemed surprised when the two of us headed to my room for a more private and intimate celebration.

* * *

><p>Later that night, after we'd made love, Freddie and I lay in each other's arms; our thoughts inevitably turned to the goons.<p>

"I'm so glad it's over" I whispered. He pulled me closer and I turned to meet his gaze.

"I'll sleep easier knowing they're locked away" he confessed. He sounded tired; I hadn't realised it had affected him that way too.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I pried, beginning to feel a little hurt that he had kept it from me.

"You had your own troubles to deal with" he explained. "You weren't sleeping, you were having nightmares, waking up screaming. I didn't want you to worry about me as well."

"I'm your _girlfriend_; that's what I'm HERE for!" I emphasised. On the one hand I loved his thoughtfulness, on the other I wanted to chide him for suffering alone. "I don't want to think that you don't think you can tell me stuff" I cupped his cheek and looked into his eyes as I spoke.

"There's nothing I don't _think_ I can tell you" he assured me. "But you were dealing with YOUR response to what happened; I didn't want to dump _mine_ on you as well."

"I dumped mine on you" I countered.

"I'm your boyfriend; that's what _I'm_ here for" he flashed his boyish smile at me. I laughed and brought my lips to his. I grinned happily as my leg slid between his.

"You ready to go again?" I asked seductively.

"With you here? Always."


	28. Surprises

**AN: Hello everyone. Happy New Year and welcome, **_**finally**_**, to an update for this story. I know it's been a long time in coming (almost six months, wow!, not counting last week's one shot) but I hope you all enjoy it. **

**Thank you to Crovus for reviewing the last chapter and also to Challenge King, Jeremy Shane, Subject87, amber, FR-88 and Agent-M for reviewing the Christmas one-shot. That one won't be continued (sorry Amber) but hopefully this will do instead.**

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><p>It was Friday lunchtime for us and, with our coursework deadline fast approaching, it meant we had been given an afternoon without classes in order to get things done. All of this was great news for Andy and me as we had already finished our project.<p>

"Free afternoon," I smiled at my friend.

"Oh yes," he grinned back, "what do you have planned?"

I checked my watch. "It's almost lunchtime at Hollywood Arts; I thought I'd head over there and surprise my girl."

Andy smiled in amusement. "Need a ride?" he offered; I accepted with gratitude, playfully observing that he just wanted another chance to eye up the girls, especially Cat – a charge he found himself unable to deny.

I got out of the car near the Asphalt Café; I spotted the group of friends so I made sure I hid myself from the view Tori had from her table, and thanked my friend for the ride. I walked up to the table, staying out of my girl's line of sight – which put me directly in Jade's. I placed a finger on my lips as she noticed me and, being a consummate actress, she instantly turned her attention back to her lunch with a bored expression on her face, though she flashed me a quick smirk while Tori's attention was on whatever Cat was saying to her.

I arrived at the table, directly behind Tori and tapped her gently on the shoulder. She spun around and her face broke into a huge grin (matched by those of her friends; they were both pleased to see me and surprised that I had made it to the table without her realising my approach) as she leapt to her feet and pulled me into a hug and a kiss.

"Hey girl," I greeted her.

"What are you _doing_ here?" he asked in delighted surprise.

I was about to explain when Jade piped up from behind her, in her best 1940s movie star voice, "Why yes, Freddie, what brings a guy like you to our school on this fine Friday lunchtime?"

"I don't talk like that!" Tori snapped as she turned to her fellow singer-actress, causing Jade's smirk to grow.

Do not laugh, Freddie. Do not laugh at your girlfriend. That will stop you getting laid tonight.

Instead I forced my face into a more neutral expression as I slid in next to her at the table and wrapped my arm around her. I explained about having the afternoon off to finish a project I'd already finished… "so I thought I'd come over here instead and surprise you."

"You definitely did that," she agreed.

"I hope it was a pleasant one."

"What do you think?" she asked before kissing me again. "C'mon, give Tori a squeeze."

She pressed herself close to me and I hugged her tight, crashing my lips passionately against her own.

"Dude, the bell goes in a few minutes," Jade pointed out. I'm not sure how long we'd kissed for by the time she brought that up.

Tori pulled away reluctantly and told her dark haired friend, "Well we still have a few minutes then," and returned her lips to mine.

The bell inevitably sounded, bringing us reluctantly apart again.

"You wanna sit in on some classes?" she invited me. "I can drive you to work afterwards."

"Sounds good; I have to work downtown tonight and tomorrow because they're short-staffed, so it should be easier than getting back to campus… if there's somewhere I can crash tonight?" I raised my eyebrows at her and she smiled.

"I think we can find you somewhere."

"It's good that you're here Freddie, she's more like Tori again," Cat suddenly volunteered.

"Oh?" I turned to my girl in surprise but it was Jade who answered, in her usual sarcastic tone.

"Yeah, she's been in a funk for a few days; if I cared I might be concerned about it." The grin she directed to her long-time rival suggested that she wasn't entirely serious with the last remark. I nodded at her words; she had seemed a little off during our recent chats but had been complaining of her work load so I had put it down to that.

Tori just rolled her eyes. "So you're downtown both days?"

"Yeah, and I need to get back Sunday afternoon to do some college work but we'll have tonight, tomorrow night and Sunday morning. But anyway," I said, realising that she had rather abruptly and adeptly changed the subject, "why do you think you were 'in a funk'?" My words brought an instant grimace to her lovely face.

"Can I tell you after school?"

I nodded; she wasn't blowing me off but it was clearly something she didn't feel comfortable discussing in front of her friends just now.

I sat with her in Sikowitz's class; the rather odd teacher didn't comment on my presence, I guess there's a chance he didn't even realise that there was an extra student there today as he seemed even more out of it than I remember from Kenan's House Party where I briefly came across him.

We left at the end of the day; Tori still wasn't in a mood to talk as we reached her car, nor during the drive to my work, so I respected her feelings on the matter and didn't bring it up, choosing instead to make some tentative plans for the weekend – dinner and a movie downtown after work tomorrow and a lazy Sunday morning just relaxing with one another. Another 'safe' topic came to mind as we neared the Pear Store.

"Spring Break is coming up soon," I commented.

"Don't remind me; I've far too much to do before then," she complained.

"I was thinking more about what to do _during_ the break."

"Anything you had in mind?"

"Well, I think Carly and Sam still want to come down for the week so we can maybe think of a few things to do around the place for the week. Hit the beach, an iCarly special… and we need to make sure there's plenty of time for the two of us." I put my hand gently on the one she had rested on the shift stick. She smiled at the gentle contact.

"I'll try to think of a few things while you're at work; we can talk tonight. I'll make sure to save you some dinner."

I nodded at her thoughtfulness, kissed her and got out of the car a block-and-a-half or so from the store; it was easier for her to head back from the main road than try to get there and then navigate her way out again. I was a little distracted during my shift, wondering about whatever it could be that was causing her problems, but I was still able to do everything that I had to, spending most of the evening on the Brilliance Bar but a little time covering breaks on the shop floor helping the sales team.

The shift flew by and before I knew it I was clocking off, smiling as my phone beeped right on cue to inform me that Tori was ready and waiting to collect me. She was happy to see me but still looked rather distracted on the drive home.

I ate once we reached her house, noting with slight curiosity that her father was sat watching TV but her mother wasn't around; I assumed she had already gone to bed. Tori and Trina sat with their dad watching whatever was on, though it has to be said that Trina spent more time watching _me_ than she did the show. I shook my head, wondering if she had completely disregarded our little talk from a few weeks ago. My girl, meanwhile, was becoming more and more withdrawn as the evening went on so, having eaten and cleared away my plate and cutlery, I yawned theatrically (amusing myself that I was trying to act in the presence of two experts) and pointedly informed my girl that I was feeling tired and would head to bed. Her dad grinned and wished me a pleasant night's sleep before glancing at his youngest daughter with raised eyebrows; his eldest said I could always crash in her bed if I really wanted to, earning an exasperated "Trina!" from her sister; she responded with a look that said "what?"

Tori got up and headed with me to her room. "Are you _really_ tired?" she asked huskily.

"Not yet," I smiled back, pulling her in for a kiss.

"I think I can fix that," she said casually as we reluctantly separated, albeit she wore a wicked grin.

After well and truly "fixing it" we lay cuddling in her bed. Despite what we had just shared I could tell that my girl was still distracted and a little distant.

"Tori, is everything ok at school?"

"What? Oh yeah, school's fine – busy but things are good. Plenty to do but we'll all get there before graduation, I'm sure."

"So if it's not school, what's been upsetting you recently?"

She sighed and turned to me; her eyes were full of fear and concern, I tried to fill mine with love and support as best as I could. "I think my mom is having an affair with dad's partner at work," she whispered.

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><p><strong>AN: Yeah I'm leaving it there… hopefully the next chapter will be up by the weekend – certainly it won't be another six months. PD.<strong>


	29. Talking to Trina

**AN: Hello everyone. Welcome to the next chapter of this story. I hope you are all well and have had a good week. I'd like to start by saying a huge thank you to those of you who took the time and trouble to review the last chapter; Challenge King, Subject87, ArtisticAngel6 and Agent-M – your feedback is always very welcome.**

**For those of you in need of some more Teddie-love, One Horse Shay has started a story about them (iGuess We're Roomies) over in the Victorious section. Between you and me I can't wait to see his take on my OTP – I'd recommend checking it out and keeping an eye on it.**

**Until then, please enjoy the next chapter of Freddie Goes To Hollywood.**

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><p>"I think my mom is having an affair with dad's partner at work."<p>

It was what I had come to suspect over the events of recent weeks but actually _voicing_ it to somebody else (even my Freddie) made it hit me like a fist in the gut. Speaking of my boy, his eyes still held the love and warmth they always did, making me feel _safe_ no matter what was going on at the time – be it the goons that wanted a piece of me, that memorable night when we first gave ourselves to one another or even this one; I knew from his eyes that I could tell him _anything _and _everything_ that I needed to and that he would be there for me no matter what.

I began telling him about my suspicions; he knew Gary by sight, of course, as he'd been one of the cops who had seen him in hospital and had been on hand when I had made my statement about the incident that put him in there. I talked about how they had spoken fondly about one another and were texting and e-mailing one another throughout my tribulations with the crazy girl, Fawn, who tried to drive me out of school (and then tried to abduct my sister and I on the way home; fortunately she was unaware that Trina is an accomplished martial artist – and not someone you want to piss off when she's sick). Thinking back I _almost_ feel sorry for that girl…

The next big alarm bell sounded a week or two ago during Sikowitz's "Live Without Technology" challenge. While I was trying to do so (and Freddie, the self-proclaimed King of the Geeks, winced at the idea when I explained it to him; the hardest part of the whole exercise was that he hadn't been able to text or video-chat with me, at least we had the landline so we could keep in contact on a night during those few days of absolute technologyless torture… seriously I got withdrawal symptoms so bad that I made _Cat_ look sane, even with her antics involving a rubber dog chew shaped like a phone) my mom really didn't help matters by continually e-mailing and texting on her pearphone – and it was Gary she was in contact with. Being a love-struck, giggly schoolgirl myself it was easy for me to recognise the same traits in her; and it scares the hell out of me.

"Do you think your dad has noticed the changes?" Freddie asked cautiously, keeping his voice soft and low.

"I don't think so," I whispered in reply. I assumed the question he was _really_ asking, in as tactful a way as possible, was 'does my dad know mom is cheating on him?' "If he knew what was going on I don't think he'd still be here, and I think Gary would be in hospital."

He nodded before drawing me into a hug and rubbing idle circles on my back. He said nothing, perhaps having no words of comfort, eschewing bland claims that 'everything would be alright' and just letting me know, in as tangible a way as possible, that he would be there for me, whatever else turned to chizz. I was grateful for his presence and we traded a few gentle kisses; the passion we'd shared earlier in the night wasn't needed just now and it was nice just to enjoy the feeling of being close to him.

I lay there holding him; he fell asleep long before I did, doubtless tired from his evening shift at work and without the full weight of my home life to disturb his slumbers, but I awoke the next morning to an otherwise empty bed. I looked at the clock and groaned; 9:30, he had already been at work for half-an-hour.

"Hi sister," drawled Trina as I staggered downstairs to the living area and through into the kitchen in my dishevelled state. "You were sleeping and Freddie didn't want to disturb you so I took him to work this morning," she declared with some pride in her voice.

"Thanks Treen," I smiled at her, wondering suddenly exactly how much _she_ knew (or suspected) about what mom was up to. Unfortunately my parents were both around at the moment (mom was making breakfast for herself, nobody else – which was another change; she'd usually make something for _me_ while doing her own. Dad, meanwhile, was watching TV). "Have you had breakfast?" I asked my sister; she confirmed that she had so I fixed myself something quick while she sat with our dad.

Having eaten I decided that I really needed to talk to Trina about the situation so I casually walked up behind her (by now she was sat between mom and dad on the couches) and gave her a sharp poke to the back of her neck. As expected she spun around with an annoyed "Ow, Tori!"

"Whatcha gonna do about it?" I taunted.

"I'll show you what I'm gonna do," she growled, standing and walking between the couches towards me. I began to retreat one step at a time as she pursued me until I reached the half-landing. As she reached the step below me I grabbed her wrist and began to run upstairs; caught off-guard and off-balance my sister could do nothing but be dragged along to my destination – my bedroom.

"What's all this about?" she whined as I closed the door behind us.

"I wanted to talk to you and not attract our parents' suspicion," I explained. "Right now they just think we're fighting again, which is fine by me."

"I'm confused," she complained.

Rather than some snippy comment I just sat on my bed and motioned to my desk chair. She took the hint and sat there, eyeing me curiously as she did.

"Have you noticed anything… odd about mom recently?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean… she's been less interested in how we're doing – "

"She's never been interested in how I am," my sister muttered bitterly.

"And she's been texting dad's partner a lot and e-mailing him," I persisted.

"She has?" Trina was surprised at the news. "Why would she do that?"

"I think…" I took a deep breath, "I think she might be cheating on dad."

My sister's reaction was one of stunned silence. In truth it was nice to see her silenced; I just wish the circumstances were different.

We sat in silence for a few moments while Trina processed my words and thought back on recent events, trying to discern whether she could see any changes in mom's behaviour that would lead her to the same conclusions as I. Finally she stood up, walked over to my bed, sat next to me and pulled me into a hug. The two of us sat there for a long time, just hugging one another, each wondering and worrying about what might happen to our lives if our worst fears were founded.

"What do we do?" she asked in a scared whisper.

"Definitely nothing until we're certain," I argued. She nodded. "If we are, we confront _mom_. There's nothing to be gained from us telling dad."

With nothing else productive to do I spent the rest of the morning with my schoolwork and learning lines for the small productions I had lined up between now and Spring Break. Freddie texted me over lunch to see how I was. I smiled at his sweetness and sent a reassuring reply. As the end of his shift approached I said goodbye to my family and headed out to my car, driving into Los Angeles to collect my boy.

"Hey," he greeted me as he slid into the car next to me. I _needed_ to be close to him so I pulled him into a deep French kiss, one that he was happy to indulge in.

"You either missed me a lot or you're still worried," he said softly.

I smiled at his attempted joke. "Both," I commented, giving him another quick kiss. "Where do you want to go for dinner tonight?"

"Somewhere local," he urged wearily, "it's been a busy shift. I just want to eat and get an early night."

"An early night sounds good," I whispered with a flirtatious smile and I ran my hand up and down his thigh, causing him to grin in response as he settled back into the passenger seat and closed his eyes.

I drove us to Baby Blues, knowing that Freddie had developed a taste for ribs, and we ate while talking. I tried to keep the conversation on his shift and on what was happening in his life; I really didn't want to talk anymore about the potential crisis in my own home life. He seemed to understand and we avoided the elephant in the room while instead talking a little more about plans for the forthcoming Spring Break.

"So Carly and Sam are definitely coming down?" I asked.

"So they say. Believe it or not Carly's having to buy both tickets."

I laughed; obviously I only really knew Sam from the few days we'd interacted over Thanksgiving and Christmas but from Freddie's stories it didn't surprise me that she'd be relying, once again, on the "Bank of Carly".

"What do you want to do while they're down here?"

"Well," he said thoughtfully, "they've never _really_ seen LA; we didn't get to see too much when we crashed Kenan's party," I bowed my head a little, even after all this time and with the huge benefit I'd gotten as a result (Freddie) the memory of finding out what Steven had done still grated with me a little. "The only other time they've been down was Thanksgiving when they saw UCLA and hung out with you guys at the mall. Oh and of course Carly saw the inside of the hospital a few weeks ago."

I winced at that other painful memory and squeezed my boy's hand as I reflected again on what could… _would_ have happened had he not protected me the way he did. I knew he didn't want me to dwell on it or carry on thanking him so I simply lifted his hand and kissed it before turning back to my entrée while he continued to think aloud about possible plans for the week. Venice Beach was an obvious one as were a number of the sights from Downtown LA. We'll see what plans the others have and figure something out… unless you're all going back to Yerba?" he concluded with a teasing smile.

"I am _never_ going back there," I told him vehemently.

After Freddie paid the check we left the restaurant and made the short trip back across Hollywood. Trina met us at the door when we arrived at home; she pulled me inside, Freddie followed in mild confusion (I hadn't told him about my conversation with my sister earlier in the day).

She pulled me to one side. "I'll be upstairs," Freddie called awkwardly. My sister waved him off as I smiled awkwardly in his direction. Mom and dad looked at us with identical confused expressions; with sadness I noted that she was still sat apart from him. I felt it was non-verbally confirming my suspicions. I glanced at Trina and saw that she too was eyeing them with sadness.

"We need to do something about this," she declared in a low voice pointing between our parents.

"Like what?"

"I don't know… find out what _really_ is going on, if anything, and if it is then we put a stop to it!"

I nodded resolutely; I had no idea what Trina had in mind but I agreed that we _had_ to do something if there was a danger of our family falling apart. One problem struck me though…

"How? We can't exactly walk up to her and ask, 'say mom, are you cheating on dad with Gary?' can we?"

"I'll think of something," she pledged.

I nodded. "I'll think as well… in the meantime though, I have a tired boyfriend that I want to see before he falls asleep on me." I raised my voice as I turned towards the stairs and called "Goodnight guys!" to my family.

"Goodnight sweetie," my parents mumbled, not taking their eyes from the TV screen. I gave them one last cautious look, and a supportive smile to my older sister, before heading upstairs to see my man.

"Hey," I called from the doorway, seeing him laid under the covers with his eyes closed.

"Hey," his voice was weary and he opened his eyes groggily and focussed on me, smiling as he did.

I made my way softly over to my desk and grabbed my robe from the back of the chair before heading to the bathroom to get ready for bed. Having done so I headed back to my room, slid off the robe (which instantly garnered my boy's attention) and slid into bed next to him.

"Trina's going to come up with a plan to find out for certain what's happening between mom and Gary," I explained. His eyes switched from lustful to sympathetic as if a switch had just been flicked. He nodded and draped an arm gently over my midriff, urging me into a cuddling hug.

No words were needed between us as we lay there together with him planting gentle kisses on my cheek and my neck; he reprised his role as my rock, comforting me and wordlessly trying to convince me that everything, somehow, would work itself out.


	30. What I Want

**AN: Hello everyone and welcome back to this story; I hope you are all well and that you all enjoy this little chapter as I look to set the scene a little for the future of the story. As always let me get to the business of thanking those of you who read and reviewed last time. Challenge King – the sister bonding I think is long overdue and Mr Vega DID give Freddie his blessing; he knows what he and the younger daughter get up to and, albeit reluctantly, accepts it because of what Freddie did for Tori earlier in the story. Agent-M, thanks and as above yes a little bit of the two girls working together is, I think, a nice thing to see rather than Trina always being ignored, ridiculed or overlooked. AA6 – I think a lot of the craziness may be in the next chapter with more of an ensemble cast than this week's update. Pbow – thank you for your feedback and thoughts. And you are correct; my knowledge of LA is limited to google maps so travel times are a product of artistic license to that extent.**

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><p>Spring Break was fast approaching, it was less than a week away now, and most of my friends were feeling the stress as they rushed to meet our course deadlines. Luckily, Andy and I had been able to get everything finished early leaving my friend free to party the last week away.<p>

With me still having memories of the party that Tori and I went to before Christmas (and that we reluctantly had to take Trina to with us, and protect her from harm when she got drunk) I wasn't really in the mood to attend any of the frat parties (assuming that I'd be allowed in after we got kicked out of the Christmas one) so I spent my evenings either shooting pool when my buds decided they needed a break from their work, doing a couple of extra shifts at the campus Pear Store or just hanging at the dorm with the guys, chatting with them and enjoying a stress-free end to the term. Unfortunately my girlfriend was _far_ from stress-free as she and her friends approached the end of their senior year and graduation from Hollywood Arts so she was unable to join me on an evening at the moment. Instead we were having to make do with some quick video chats and phone calls whenever she felt she needed a break from her studies and her work, like right now...

"Hey babe, still busy?" I asked as she called.

"_So _busy," she complained.

"You're nearly there," I reminded her in what I hoped was an encouraging voice, "and soon you'll be a college chick."

"I know, I can't wait to join you at UCLA!"

Even though she could have done her college degree at Hollywood Arts, as Trina was doing, she had decided on a change of scenery (and to be at the same place as me). André, Beck, Jade, Robbie and Cat were all going on to UCLA as well, so the seven of us would be looking to see if we could find a way to all be house-mates; if not then we'd look for two places fairly close together and likely Beck, Jade, Tori and I would take one with the other three living together – or on campus. _Whatever happens_, Tori had told me, _we'll be looking for some place together_. With Beck and Jade also wanting to get a place together it was logical for the four of us to look to split the cost. The practicalities of us all living together could take some getting used to but it was a challenge that we were all looking forward to and I had already started looking through the university network to see if I could identify any suitable places.

"So it's going to a crowded house next week," my girl observed.

"Right, so your parents aren't going away – or Trina?"

"Well you know how things are between mom and dad right now," she reminded me. Of course, they were still having "issues". Their daughters had been unable to figure out _exactly_ what was going on just yet (despite their combined efforts and attempts to come up with a plan to get to the bottom of things) but from what she had told me the evidence seemed to suggest that Tori's suspicions about her mother were correct. That they _weren't_ going away at all, as they did frequently, certainly lent credence to those suppositions of marital disharmony, something that was obviously troubling both Tori and her sister. "And Trina… no we can't get rid of her this time," she added humorously; she really did love her older sister and they were getting closer as they got older, especially with working together in an attempt to keep their family in one piece. "So when you add Carly and Sam in the guest room, you and me in mine, mom and dad, Trina… it's gonna be busy."

"Well we'll probably be out of the house all day every day," I noted reasonably, "so it'll just be morning and evening that it gets a bit crazy. You may just have to barricade Trina's door so she doesn't hog the shower."

Tori laughed at the idea before admitting that it appealed to her, as did making Carly wait until last in the line for the bathroom; my brunette friend's long showers were the stuff of legend in our little group in Seattle and I had shared some of the tales with my girlfriend.

"How about we get up before them, take our turns and then let the rest of them fight over the bathroom?" I suggested.

"I like the sound of that, with a minor change to the plan," she teased before, in an unusually husky voice, she suggested her modification. I glanced in the mirror over my desk and saw that I was indeed turning a fetching shade of crimson at her words.

"Yeah my mom would _love_ that if she ever found out," I commented.

"I won't tell her," she laughed, "and she's not exactly delighted about our relationship right now anyway is she?"

I had to admit that was true; Mr Vega may have given us his blessing after the little incident we had in January but my mother was very much old school and opposed to the ideas of cohabitation or sex outside of marriage. She had made her disapproval crystal clear to me (though she conceded, through slightly gritted teeth, that she _did_ like Tori) though she also had to accept that there wasn't much that she could do about it while we weren't under her roof. It was one of the reasons that _she_ would have to visit _us_ over the summer rather than us going to Seattle.

"Fortunately _our_ opinion of our relationship is more important than _hers_," I pointed out, something Tori was able to happily agree with.

We talked a little more before Tori had to return to her project work as she still had a lot to do before Friday. I had received a text while we had been talking, from my course-mate Gary, asking me if I wanted to shoot some pool. I fired back that I did and made my way down to Cooperage where I would meet him. As I was walking, however, I heard my phone's ringtone; it was Carly calling.

"Hey Freddie, how are you?" she asked excitedly.

"Oh hey Carls, I'm good thanks, really good. Are you looking forward to next week."

"Yeah I can't wait to see you again; it's been ages since we were last together and uh… last time wasn't under the best of circumstances really."

I couldn't disagree; waking up in a hospital bed after being beaten up in defence of my girlfriend wasn't exactly how I wanted to see Carly, though it had touched me that she had made the mad dash south along with my mom in order to make sure that I was ok.

"Sam's looking forward to seeing you too," she added in a light tone.

"Why do I get the feeling that the first thing she'll do is poke and prod anywhere she can to see if I still have any bruises?" I complained.

"Because you've known me for years, Benson!" the blonde's voice called.

"Oh hey Sam, Carly didn't say you were there too," my tone was slightly accusing but jovial enough for the web stars to know I didn't mean anything by it.

"Where else would I be?" the blonde laughed with Carly joining in a moment later.

"So do you girls have your flights booked?"

They did and would be arriving at LAX around lunchtime on the Saturday; Carly had wanted an earlier flight but didn't think she'd be able to carry Sam to her car or through the airport along with the luggage that they'd both be bringing for their week-long visit so she felt it best to give her best friend time to wake up before they left.

"So you don't have any early lectures on your course then Sam?" I asked curiously.

"None that I attend," she retorted, half-sheepish and half with bravado.

I had just spotted Gary by this time so I told the girls that I'd have to go but was looking forward to seeing them this weekend. We said our goodbyes and rang off and Gary and I spent the next hour or so splitting four games of pool; he declined a decider as he needed to finish his project.

"So, the blonde by the bar then," he nudged me in the ribs with his elbow as we left.

"Huh?" I was genuinely completely oblivious.

"Oh come on dude, she was totally checking you out!"

He didn't believe my protestations as I played dumb. "I never saw any blondes by the bar."

"What? She was staring at you for like half the time we were there!"

"Was she cute?" I was a little curious, I must admit.

"Hell yeah! Dude, if she'd looked at _me_ like that we'd have finished after two games and I'd be spending the rest of my break from work at her place."

"I already have a girlfriend, I'm not looking for another one."

"Who said anything about a _girlfriend_? I'm talking a free lay."

"I'm not looking for one of those either. I _love_ Tori, I'm not gonna cheat on her!"

"She'd never know!" he insisted.

"I would," I said quietly, ending the discussion. He wisely dropped it, realising that I wasn't going to go any deeper into that territory. I could tell he thought that I was crazy but I meant every word.

The remainder of the week passed in similar vein; people started to head out on Friday afternoon, most were going to either Florida or Cancun for the week whereas I would be going a few miles away to Hollywood after work (Tori was going to call by after her performance early this evening; she'd arrive at the store, get my keys from me and wait in the dorm until I was done with my shift).

The plan worked seamlessly but, to my slight surprise, only Tori was in the dorm when I got back.

"Everyone else has gone?" I asked.

"Yeah, Tom was leaving just as I got here. Two others, I don't know their names," she admitted, "left a few minutes later so it was just me and the TV."

"So we have the place to ourselves," I smiled, joining her on the couch and slipping my arm around her shoulders. She matched my smile as we turned to face one another.

"It seems a shame to waste it," she agreed.

"Maybe you should text your folks and let them know we won't be over until tomorrow? Just so we don't get any interruptions later?"

"Good thinking Benson," she laughed, pulling her phone from her jeans pocket and sending off a message. She switched her phone off, I did likewise and we idly lobbed the pear-shaped items onto a different couch.

"Now," I asked, gazing into her eyes, moved by the love I could see reflected in them, "what can do with the whole place to ourselves tonight." And I leaned in to claim her lips.

"I have a couple of ideas," she whispered in that damn husky voice of hers, kissing me in return.

"I'm listening," I grinned, leaning back and pulling her down on top of me; thoughts of any college chicks who may or may not be giving me the eye were long-since forgotten in my girl's presence – I already had everything that I wanted.

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><p><strong>AN: Thanks for reading; next chapter will be Spring Break and involve Carly, Sam and the Hollywood Arts gang in addition to our favourite couple. I hope to see you all for that. In the meantime please drop me a review to let me know what you thought of this chapter and keep an eye out for a little bonus one-shot that will be published on Thursday (the date that day will provide a clue to the plot of that one…)<strong>


	31. Spring Break and Break Up Part I

**AN: Hello everyone and welcome to the latest part of this story. I hope you are all well. My thanks to the two reviewers for the last chapter.**

**Challenge King – yes, Freddie showed that he really does love Tori. She just might need that reassurance before too long given what she suspects is happening at home.**

**Agent-M – here is the next chapter, covering the start of Spring Break. I originally planned to do the whole week in one but I think it would be a bit too big and unwieldy so here's part 1 instead.**

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><p>Boy did I sleep well last night, which is strange because I usually find it difficult to sleep in a strange bed. It must have something to do with my sleeping companion; there's no better feeling than waking up in Freddie's arms, feeling his strong, muscular arm gently encircling me, smelling the faint traces of his aftershave from yesterday, his breath tickling my skin. Actually scratch that… his lips gently kissing and nibbling at my neck, <em>that's<em> a great feeling too – and certainly feels pretty damn good first thing on a morning.

Either my squirming or my involuntary sigh must have told him that he'd woken me up; he moved his lips from my neck to my mouth, giving me a chaste kiss before pulling back and whispering "Good morning, beautiful". Had I been standing my legs would have turned to jelly at his words.

Instead I settled for, "Good morning Freddie." Then, realising what day it was, "How does it feel not being at work for once on a Saturday morning?" The store on campus was closed with so many kids being away for Spring Break and he had been told he wasn't needed at any of the other stores this week either, which would give us the chance for a nice, leisurely morning before we had to collect the Seattle girls from their flight down.

"When it means I get to spend more time lying here with you – fantastic," he insisted, draping an arm over my bare midriff while his other continued to be wrapped around my back. I rolled over slightly to move even closer to him and we enjoyed a little silent cuddling, playfully stealing kisses from one another on a regular basis.

We spent a very pleasant time like that, neither of us really knew how long, before a glance at Freddie's bedside clock revealed that we needed to start getting ready in order to be on time to meet our guests. I hit the shower while Freddie prepared breakfast, we ate together then I helped to pack up his things while he showered; we knew that it would take us at least an hour to get to the airport, as we'd need to drop his things off at my house first (there wouldn't be enough room in my car for his bag as well as Sam, Carly and _their_ things) so we left UCLA around 90 minutes before their flight was due to land, figuring that with how long it would take them to disembark and get through baggage claim we would have almost two hours – plenty of time. I waited in the car while he dashed up to my room with his bag; when he hadn't returned five minutes later I sighed, switched the engine off and went looking for him, assuming that my sister Trina had somehow waylaid and detained him. The sight that greeted me when I entered the house told me just how wrong I was.

I could hear raised voices as I reached the closed door; opening it I heard my dad yelling, mom was shouting back across the living area while Trina stood in tears and Freddie, minus his luggage, was trying to console her. My parents looked at me and were momentarily silenced.

"What's going on?" I asked tentatively.

"What's _going on_, sweetie," dad was still furious but softened his tone briefly as he used his pet name for me, "is that I'm out of here. It turns out that our marriage vows didn't mean a damn thing to your mother and that my _partner _is a back-stabbing bastard." He seized a suitcase that had been hidden from my view behind the couch and marched past me to the door. "I'll see you soon, kiddo," he said softly as he passed me, planting a quick kiss on my cheek as I stood there immobilised by the shock of the scene and the next second he was gone.

"So it's true then?" I challenged my mom in a flat tone. "The text messages, you giggling whenever you received any from him, you _are_ cheating on dad?"

"Tori, I…" she began.

"Save it," I snapped before turning to my boy, still holding my sobbing sister. "Freddie, we've got to get to the airport."

He nodded, gave Trina one more gentle, supportive hug and followed me out of the door and back to my car. From the corner of my eye I saw Trina dash upstairs leaving mom alone in the kitchen.

"Are you ok to drive?" he asked gently and cautiously as I closed my eyes and let out a huge sigh of frustration.

"That's what you care about?" I snarled, immediately regretting the tone I'd taken with him.

"No," he replied patiently, before I could apologise, tenderly resting his hand on my forearm and encouraging me to meet his gaze, something I was unable to do so I just stared at his hand, "but I'm not going to ask if you're ok when it's blindingly obvious that you're not, nor should you be right now."

Somewhat mollified I met his eyes, moved anew by the gentle compassion within them. He continued, "If you don't feel that you're in a fit state to drive then let me?"

I shook my head. "Thanks for the offer but I'll be fine." He nodded, declining to challenge me. "I'm sorry for snapping," I whispered shamefully. He just told me that it was ok. Why does he have to be so damn understanding all the time?

I have no memory of the journey that took us to the airport; it's fortunate that I've had to drive the route a few times before so I could almost do it on autopilot. We found a parking spot and exited my car. Freddie took my hand gently and I allowed him to lead the way, my mind still a daze. We stopped in front of the giant monitors and scanned the arrivals for the inbound flight from Seattle.

"There we are," Freddie pointed to a particular flight, "it's just landed so we likely have half an hour or so before their bags come through. Let's wait by the carousels?"

I nodded distractedly and he led me over so that we were as close to the baggage claim area as we could be. I was still staring off vacantly when I felt a kiss on the back of my hand; I hadn't realised Freddie had raised it to his lips until then.

"I can't pretend that I know what you're going through," he said in a soft, gentle voice, "I've no memory of my dad, he was gone before I was old enough to really remember anything; mom never talks about him. But if you need to talk, or vent or scream or – _anything at all_, I'm here."

"Thanks Freddie," I smiled, planting a little peck on his lips before we were interrupted by a loud "Freddie! Tori!" and turned to see an excited brunette sprinting towards us while a blonde shook her head a few yards behind.

"Carls! It's great to see you!" Freddie laughed, wrapping his left arm around her when she jumped at him; his right hand remained entwined with my left so I placed my right arm behind Carly to complete the group hug. I think he managed a cheek-kiss for the girl too as he welcomed her to LA.

"Hey nub," Sam greeted him with a smile; my man rolled his eyes at the oft-used insult from his one-time nemesis. We released Carly and Sam hugged Freddie, before giving me a brief, terse squeeze and a slightly sullen "Tori"; clearly she's still not my biggest fan even if everything is resolved between the two of them. Carly gave me a wary look but with all the other chizz going on I really don't have the emotional energy to deal with any issues Sam may have.

"Your bags arrived already?" my man asked in surprise. Carly shook her head.

"Not yet but we saw you so we came over to say hi; we'll head back and pick them up now." The two girls headed back to the carousel and we followed them, surprised when Carly proceeded to recover three large suitcases from the contraption. Sam, in contrast, had one medium-sized bag.

"Uh, are you here for a week or moving in Carls?" Freddie teased lightly as he eyed the pile of luggage the brunette had brought with her. She lightly swatted his arm as she pulled a slightly irritated face but Sam piped up,

"I said the exact same thing. _Nobody_ needs that much stuff for one week Carls."

She glared at her best friend for a moment while Freddie picked up two of her bags and began to drag them behind him. Sam took hers and Carly's other bag and we began to leave the area.

"Let me take one?" I asked, placing my right hand gently on the handle so it slightly overlapped his own. He acquiesced, allowing me to take one of them, Carly took Sam's smaller case from her and it was a far more balanced quartet that left the airport heading for my car. Somehow we managed to get all of their stuff, and them, into my car, laughing a little at how tricky it was to fit everything in. It momentarily distracted me from my troubles but I knew that we would have to revisit them before we got home, if only to explain the tensions that would inevitably be present, unlike my father.

Freddie presumably was thinking the same thing as I could feel him eyeing me cautiously at various points during the drive back home. Carly clearly sensed that all was not well as I could see some concern in her eyes whenever I caught sight of her in the rear-view mirror. Sam, meanwhile, seemed oblivious to the tension in the car, preferring to focus her attention on the various restaurants that we drove past and asking if we had tried any of them. We hadn't been to too many of them but Freddie rattled off a list of some of our favourites; to my mild surprise he included the Italian place we visited on that fateful January night when he had been beaten up protecting me from the pack of would-be rapists, though he did comment that it would be one that we should drive to in future. This lightened the mood a little as Carly and I both laughed involuntarily (and perhaps inappropriately). Sam was a little confused until her best friend explained the significance to her.

We arrived at home with the elephant in the room still not addressed. With no more time to put it off I stood with my hand on the trunk of the car as the two girls waited to retrieve their baggage.

"Guys, there's something you need to know." I glanced at Freddie and he smiled supportively. "My mom and dad, they're having… difficulties. Dad moved out – this morning, so it's going to be tense in there."

Carly looked crestfallen at the news; Sam barely batted an eyelid.

The downstairs area was completely deserted as we our group made our way inside.

"You'll be sharing the guest room again if that's ok," I mentioned casually, trying to distract myself from the impending collapse of my family.

"I know where it is," Carly nodded, smiling at me and heading up with Sam's case; the blonde followed with the bag she was carrying. The two of us brought up the rear and we soon had the girls ensconced in their room, Freddie and I leaving them to get settled in.

I glanced at Trina's door; it was closed and she had hung her "Do Not Disturb" sign on it. Looks like she's brooding alone over the morning's events. My boy gently took my hand and led me back downstairs; we sat on the couch just cuddling quietly while we waited for the others to show up.

"How could this happen Freddie?" I asked in a small, fearful voice. "How could mom _really_ do this to my dad and tear my whole family apart?"

"I don't know," he whispered helplessly, "I really don't."

My thoughts and concerns were momentarily disturbed when my phone rang. I pulled it from my pocket and checked the caller ID.

"Hey Jade," I answered, trying to put some pep into my voice.

"Hey," she returned. "We were just wondering if you and Freddie wanted to meet up for lunch today."

"Uh…" I glanced at him, "we'd have to bring a couple of others along as well. Carly and Sam have just shown up."

"Sure, bring them too," my mean friend encouraged.

The two girls arrived at the top of the stairs around this point so I glanced from them to Freddie.

"Jade wants to know if we want to meet her and Beck, just the two of you?" I asked into the phone, "for lunch." Jade responded that currently it was just them but that she'd invite the others as well since our Seattle-based friends were in town.

"Well Sam will be hungry," Freddie jibed lightly. The blonde smiled menacingly but didn't contradict him, "so sure. It'll be good to see the others. Carls?"

"Sounds like a great idea," the web star agreed.

"Nozu?" I guessed into the phone, nodding as Jade confirmed the location. Freddie rolled his eyes slightly; I guess I still need to work on him when it comes to sushi.

"We're meeting in half an hour," I told the group.

Lunch was an interesting affair. Cat was almost bouncing off the walls at the sight of the two girls, and Freddie. Beck and Jade seemed happy enough to see them; they and Freddie discussed plans for housing for next year when we're at college. Freddie gave them a list of addresses that he'd found and suggested that we visit some of them this week (or at least scope out the places if the kids there at the moment are away for Spring Break) to see if there were any that we liked the look of. The couple were in agreement and decided we should do it Monday morning and get it out of the way, not least because Beck would be leaving on Tuesday, visiting relatives in Canada for the rest of the week, something that would cause Jade to suggest that she would have to make plans with Cat, though I said that she was always welcome to hang with us whenever she wanted to. Cat and André volunteered to take Carly and Sam to the mall that morning so that they wouldn't be alone at my house (or worse, there with Trina). Carly seemed particularly grateful for this as she was showing a lot of concern for the burgeoning situation. I could see from the look on her face that she'd want to talk about it at some point, while I appreciated her concern I _really_ didn't want to talk or think about it too much. Jade, too, could tell that something was off with me (Cat was too excited to notice) and, between courses, she headed to the bathroom, making it clear that I should join her.

"What's the matter?" she began without preamble once we had made sure that the room was otherwise deserted. "Come on Tori," she encouraged at my reticence, "you've been quiet and distracted all day and you tried to fake the happy voice when you answered the phone earlier. What's up?" She folded her arms across her chest and stood between me and the door, giving me a piercing stare.

I was helpless against that look and told her everything that had happened. She could sympathise (and indeed she did) having lived through the break-up of her own parents' marriage and tried to reassure me that I'd get through it somehow. I was grateful for her words but unwilling, just yet, to give voice to my biggest fear over the whole thing – my belief in forever had been at least shaken, if not totally destroyed.

After eating we decided to take Carly and Sam on a little trip around Hollywood, contenting ourselves to do all the "tourist" things today (such as the walk of fame, pointing out some of the houses of the rich and famous etc.) Carly enjoyed it and Sam was suitably interested to not wander off and try to find some trouble to get into. As I really didn't want to go home any time soon I suggested that we all go for a coffee and a sandwich late in the afternoon; Jade championed the coffee idea so we hit the local _Jet Brew_ and had a light meal there.

"Do you guys have plans for tonight?" Freddie glanced around the table at my friends, all of whom shook their heads. Beck did say that he and Jade would be spending time together before he headed north but they would be happy to hang out with us all as well.

"What did you have in mind?" Carly asked.

"It's been a while since we were at Karaoke Dokie," he suggested. There was a general murmur of agreement, though it would mean that we all had to head back to our homes and get changed, something that I'd rather not have to do. Correctly reading my expression Freddie asked if anyone had any other ideas but the seed had been planted and the gang wanted Karaoke. We arranged to meet there around 8 (it was 6:30 now) so there was nothing else for it but to head home.

Trina was sat on the couch watching TV; she hugged a cushion in front of her and rested her chin on it, barely sparing us a glance as we entered the house.

"Hey Trina, how are you?" Carly asked brightly. My older sister just glared at her and our guest's face fell.

"Hey there's no need to be rude," I chided Trina. Carly insisted it was ok but I was annoyed at my sister's behaviour; yes we're going through a lot of chizz here but she could at least show some manners.

Trina continued to ignore us, returning her focus to some weird show on the Spanish Language Channel while we headed upstairs to get ready for our evening out. We left around 7:30 for Los Feliz with barely another word spoken to my big sis.

"We could have invited her," Carly commented as I pulled the car out of the driveway.

"Two problems," I explained. "Trina in _that_ mood, not much company and… we're going to a karaoke bar; people are going to be _singing_. You do _not_ want Trina in a place like that."

Carly traded a glance with her blonde friend; clearly she thought I was being mean to my older sister. "Help me out here," I implored my boyfriend.

"Carls, she's right," he conceded reluctantly. "Trina really is not as good a singer as she likes to think she is. It's best that she doesn't go to Karaoke Dokie."

When we got to the club we saw that Beck and Jade had already claimed a couple of tables; Jade's death glare was helping to keep anyone at bay who might be tempted to try and acquire one of the tables they had put together so that we could easily fit our group around them. The rest arrived soon after and the night was soon in full swing. Like last time Carly was keen to sing and this time she prised Sam away from the menu for long enough for her to sing as well. Pretty much everyone in the club took a turn but tonight there was to be no "winner", s was simply a fun night that everyone in the place seemed to enjoy (probably because Hayley and Tara were absent, as was Joey Ferguson – maybe they're all away for Spring Break as well). Of course that didn't stop Jade from claiming "victory" and allowing me, her, Carly and Cat to have a good natured argument over who had sung the best. Dragging our friends into it didn't help; Freddie shocked nobody by voting for me, Sam backed Carly, Beck said Jade was the best and Robbie picked Cat. This left André in an unenviable position of the casting vote; he earned the ire of all us girls by voting for himself and declining to comment when pressed to narrow it down to the rest of us.

Despite enjoying the evening my fears were still just under the surface and returned in full force as we got ready for bed; neither Trina nor my mom had been up when we got home so we just said goodnight to the two girls before going about our evening routines. We got into bed and Freddie just held me close; he didn't try to put any moves on or anything, just keeping me in his arms, stroking my hair and giving me his encouraging smile.

"I'm scared, Freddie," I whispered. He nodded in understanding before I clarified, "not about mom and dad – at least not _just _about them," something that confused him. "They're my parents; they're supposed to be together forever. If they can't then…" I trailed off and just looked at him; his face fell a little as he comprehended my fears.

"I'm not sure what to tell you Tori," he admitted softly. "I don't know that I can take away your fears, but I can promise you one thing. I love you and you're all that I want."

I looked at him, determined to challenge his claim. "You're in college, you must get offers."

"Kinda," he admitted with a small smirk, which did little to improve my mood. "Earlier this week I was playing pool in a bar with my friend; he told me that a blonde by the bar was checking me out. I'll confess that I didn't notice her at all but he told me that if she'd been checking _him_ out like that then he'd have left with her. He was surprised when I dismissed the idea and asked me 'what if my girlfriend would never know?'"

"And your answer?" I was filling ever more with trepidation.

"_I_ would know, and that's what matters. _You're_ the one I love," he planted a little kiss on my nose, "you're the one I want." His lips moved to mine and we kissed quickly and softly. "I can't _promise_ forever, but if I have my way then that's what it will be," he finished with a warm smile.

"I love you too Freddie," I whispered through tears as happiness at his words mingled with the pain of the day finally catching up with me. I was still afraid, both of my parents' marriage breaking down and my belief in forever being challenged and as we kissed again and fell asleep in one another's arms I found myself desperately wishing that I could believe him.

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><p><strong>AN: I'm leaving it there for this chapter, otherwise it will get a bit too big a bit too quickly. I <strong>_**hope**_** to have the next instalment for you by Monday. In the meantime you can sate your Teddie fix by checking out my future one-shot, **_**A Valentine's Tori**_** or Subject87's **_**And All That Was**_**, both of which reside here in the iCarly/Victorious cross-over section of the site, and also One Horse Shay's iGuess We're Roomies over in the Victorious section. If you liked this chapter, or didn't like it, then please let me know via a review; I really do appreciate any and all feedback. PD**


	32. Spring Break and Break Up Part II

**AN: This is the second part of their Spring Break week; again we're in Tori's PoV for this chapter.**

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed both the last chapter (Challenge King and Pbow) and also "A Valentine's Tori", my little Valentine's Day one-shot set in this universe (so thanks to Challenge King again, Fanfic-Reader-88 and ArtisticAngel6 for reviewing that one).**

**Please enjoy the second part of their Spring Break week. There will be at least one more part to it, which will hopefully be up in the next few days.**

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><p>I awoke the next morning with the same sensations as the last, particularly the feeling of Freddie's breath on my neck. What differed the most was my mood; I was groggy from struggling to sleep much and felt an ache in the pit of my stomach. For a few milliseconds I couldn't work out why but then the events of yesterday morning came gushing back for me and I felt tears pricking at my closed eyelids.<p>

Something about it must have made Freddie realise that I was awake because I felt his grip on me strengthen a little and his other hand gently squeezed my upper arm through my nightshirt. I opened my eyes and began to turn to face him; he let go of my arm to allow me to do so. When I could see him I tried to force my face into a smile.

"Hey."

"Good morning," he whispered, swooping in to kiss my cheek; it was a sign of affection rather than anything else as he clearly figured that I wasn't in the mood for romance or our usual morning make-out.

"How long have you been awake?"

"About…" he glanced over my shoulder at my bedside clock, "half an hour."

"And you didn't get up at all?"

"I wanted to be the first thing you saw this morning," Freddie confessed. "I worried that if you woke and I wasn't here… on some level it would further shake your belief in forever."

In spite of myself I smiled at his romantic little gesture. "You're just too sweet," I whispered, kissing him softly. We cuddled a little longer before getting up to start the day.

Neither Carly nor Sam were up by the time we'd showered and dressed for the day but Trina, unusually early for a Sunday morning, was up and around – or at least she was sat at the breakfast table staring into space with a dejected look on her face.

"Hey sis," I greeted her with an arm around her shoulders. She barely acknowledged my presence before, just as I was releasing her, she replied,

"Hi Tori." Her voice was empty and deadened, the look in her eyes hollow.

Freddie busied himself making coffee and getting bowls and cereal out while my sister and I just sat there, alone in our thoughts though doubtless thinking the same thing.

"Hey guys, mama's hungry!" Sam followed her declaration down the stairs and into the kitchen where she waited impatiently for Freddie to prepare something. She accepted a bowl with a gruff "Thanks," though from what I knew of her it was unlikely to satisfy her for long.

"We have bacon in the fridge," I commented as the blonde sat at the table with us; when she saw the picture of the two Vega girls together she quietened a bit and gave us an almost sympathetic look. This disappeared in an instant, however, when I mentioned bacon; instead she returned to the kitchen and quickly located the item along with a frying pan that she put on the stove.

"You've learnt how to cook?" Freddie asked in surprise.

"I always knew _how_," she explained to him, "I was just too lazy."

Freddie chuckled before bringing a couple of bowls over for Trina and me then going back to get his own. The three of us ate our cereal in silence, Sam shuttling between the table, to eat her own, and the stove to continue cooking her bacon.

"Will there be any for the rest of us?" Trina asked seeing how much Sam was loading into the frying pan.

"You don't know me real well do you?" was her answer.

Freddie shook his head at the little exchange, particularly when Sam proceeded to load _all_ the bacon from the pan onto one plate and started to tuck in. Noticing that there was at least _some_ left, my boy returned to the kitchen and cooked the rest, finishing up just as Carly joined us, looking a little less bouncy than usual, particularly when casting a sympathetic eye of her own over us.

"Cereal?" Freddie offered her a bowl, "or there's some bacon – get it quick before Sam comes back for seconds." He smirked towards the blonde and she matched his expression.

"So what are we going to do today?" Carly asked over coffee once we'd finished eating.

"The weather's supposed to be good, how about the beach?" Freddie suggested.

"Awesome! Hot guys in trunks," Carly was excited about the idea; Sam rolled her eyes at her friend before turning to my man. "You just want to see Tori in a bikini, right?" she teased.

He eyed her, not in an annoyed way but he seemed to be deliberating on exactly what he should say to her. Taking his hand I answered the girl, "He doesn't need an excuse to see me in my underwear – or out of it," I finished a little waspishly. Freddie grinned, Trina looked a little affronted, Carly morphed into a radish and Sam pulled a face that suggested that she didn't entirely approve of my answer. Oh well, never mind.

"So the beach then?" Freddie supplied, trying to bring the conversation back on track.

"Yes, let's go to the beach," Carly echoed.

Breakfast was, fortunately, over before mom arrived downstairs; Freddie and I had retired to my room to get ready, with Carly and Sam in the guest room. Trina, who would normally jump at the chance to hit the beach, had said nothing and returned to her room in a most unTrina-like silence; I made a note to check on her before we left and see if she intended to come with us.

"So are we inviting the others?" Freddie asked. "I assume it was implied but nobody said for sure."

"Oh yeah, we'll ask them," I agreed and pulled out my phone to call Jade. She agreed and said she'd round up Cat, Beck and the others and that they'd meet us there (as I would have a full car with Freddie and the girls, with or without my sister).

I slipped my bikini on and pulled a T-shirt and my denim shorts over it; I caught Freddie staring a little as I picked up a bag to take some water and sunblock with me. He grinned guiltily before I assured him that it was ok.

"Honestly?" I whispered conspiratorially, "I'd be more upset if you _didn't_ look after all this time."

He chuckled and leaned in for a kiss. I wrapped my arms around him and melted into his touch; things were good between us and the fear I'd been feeling ever since my dad left yesterday was beginning to leave me. Deep down I knew that I could trust Freddie, that I _did_ trust him; it was just going to take a while to fully come to terms with everything.

I called on Trina as Freddie and I were leaving my room; she didn't want to join us and, much as I tried, I was unable to convince her that moping wasn't the answer. Carly and Sam, both in shorts and T-shirts like me, emerged just as I was giving up on Trina and the three of us headed downstairs to where Freddie was waiting.

"No Trina?" he asked, seeing that it was just the three of us.

I shook my head. "She's not in the mood." I cast a glance to the kitchen where my mom was sat at the table eating breakfast; she had her back to us which was unusual, as she would normally sit at the far side of the table. I hoped it was because she didn't want to see the look on my face which betrayed my feelings towards her. "Ok, let's go," I said and without another word left the house and headed for my car; the other three followed just behind.

Our guests chatted idly in the back seat of the car; Freddie joined in the discussion, using it as a chance to catch up on what was happening with people like Carly's brother and a few of their other mutual friends from up there. They attempted to include me in the conversation but were only partially successful in doing so as I was still rather lost in my own thoughts. Freddie's hand on my bare thigh while we waited at a set of lights drew my attention. I gave him my best and most reassuring smile as I whispered, "I'll be fine, I promise." I gently covered his hand with my own and left it there for a couple of intersections before the next red lights brought us to a halt. I leaned over to give him a quick kiss, which drew mock-retching from Sam (which in turn led to some scolding for her from Carly). I didn't care what Sam thought, I was just happy to be with my man for the week and I decided to put everything else to one side and enjoy our extended time together.

We pulled up in the parking bays by Venice Beach, as close to the RV area as we could get as that was where we expected to find the others. André waved to us and we headed over to them, surprised to see them all stood around, except for Cat.

"She's gone to the bathroom," my musician friend explained.

"Right, and you didn't want a repeat of last time when we were stuck in there for hours."

"No, I am _not_ sweating again," Jade observed.

Freddie got us some drinks from the cool box in the cab and handed them out. We sat sipping them in the warm morning sun while we waited for Cat to return.

"If you get bored of the beach itself," Freddie told the girls, "there's a few little stalls along the road here where you can buy some stuff, little souvenirs and nick-nacks."

Carly nodded and made a mental note to investigate later. Sam, as ever, had no money but said she'd go with her friend and see if there was anything that she liked.

Cat returned soon after and was again happy to see us all. She led the way onto the sand and was soon urging Jade to go with her into the ocean, something that Jade steadfastly refused to do. "I _told_ you what the dolphin did," she reminded her friend with a growl.

"What did it do?" I asked, curious to hear the story.

"I'm not telling you," Jade snapped back.

"Carly doesn't like to talk about what the goat –" Freddie began before his brunette friend cut him off.

"Yes, I think we've heard enough about animals for one day," her voice a little flustered. "Why don't we just enjoy sitting here in the sun and have a relaxing day at the beach."

Freddie and Sam both laughed at her response. "I'll tell you later," Freddie whispered, as this was _another_ story that I was eager to hear. Carly must have overheard him as she shot him something of a filthy look, which he replied to with an innocent smile before finding a nice spot for our towels. Soon our outerwear had been discarded and sunblock applied; we were sunning ourselves and our group was earning plenty of admirers of both sexes as people walked by.

"I'm bored," Sam announced after a while. She grabbed Carly's wrist and pulled her to her feet. "We're going to hit the stalls and see what Carly can buy for me."

The brunette shook her head with a rueful smile, slipping her shorts and T-shirt back on and checking to see that she had some cash before the two departed.

"You fancy a swim?" Freddie asked me.

"Yay, ocean!" Cat cried. "C'mon, let's go." Well, how could I refuse a request like that from my friend and boyfriend? I got up and followed them to the sea, loving the feel of the comparatively cool water and watching as Freddie pushed powerfully away from the beach out towards the deeper water. Cat was content to splash around on her own, giggling maniacally, so I swam out to try and join my boy, turning back to see my red-haired friend still leaping about, though by now both Robbie and André had joined her with Beck and Jade watching on from our little camp.

I was surprised to suddenly be hit by a large wave of water; it broke over my head drenching me. I turned around to see a grinning Freddie treading water a few feet away and narrowed my eyes in a mock-threatening manner as I tried to get into position for a counter-attack; I was too slow and saw another sizeable quantity of water headed towards me, forcing me to close my eyes and mouth tightly.

"Argh Freddie, you're going to suffer for that!" I declared and began firing water back at him. He laughed and splashed back as he swam closer to me, finally catching me and pulling me into a hug. I kissed him, tasting a little of the salty brine on his lips before glancing back towards the shore. "We've drifted out a bit, haven't we?" I noted.

"Yeah, let's head back," he agreed and we swam back to our three friends.

"Had fun?" André asked in a relaxed manner.

"_Plenty_ of fun," Freddie agreed as he shot me a little smile. "How about you guys?"

"Cat had more fun than us but it was nice to cool off a bit."

A glance towards Beck and Jade revealed that Carly and Sam had returned so Freddie and I made our way back up the beach, hopping a little at the feel of the warm sand on our cool feet. Jade was laughing hysterically at the sight of us racing uncomfortable back towards them, as was Sam; Carly and Beck contented themselves with amused grins aimed in our direction.

"That's right, laugh it up," I gave my dyed-black haired friend a playful shove, splashing her with some of the water that was still on my skin and in my hair; she squealed a little (something that _really_ isn't usually in her nature) at the comparatively cold liquid landing on her warm skin and gave me a look that caused me to put Freddie between me and her and hold onto my boy's shoulders as I attempted to hide behind him, increasing the general merriment level no end.

André, Cat and Robbie returned, with Cat declaring that she wanted some lunch; it was a proposal that found solid backing from Sam so we bundled our stuff into Beck's RV and headed up the road to see what we could find. Sam lobbied for the Café and Grill (how can she be hungry after eating that huge pile of bacon _and_ some cereal this morning?) and dragged Carly inside, leaving the rest of us with little choice but to follow them.

Most of us ordered fairly light, Sam being the obvious exception, and we carried on chatting and catching up with what was going on in each other's lives, how Carly and Sam were enjoying college at the University of Washington and a few other things. Carly confessed herself disappointed with the lack of hot guys to flirt with during our morning at the beach.

"Oh there were a few," Cat piped up, much to the brunette's confusion and chagrin. "Yeah some came by when you two went shopping."

Sam grinned sheepishly as her friend glowered at her for denying her an opportunity to flirt before she shrugged off any guilty feeling and simply returning to her meal, leaving Carly shaking her head at her.

"What's the plan for the afternoon?" I asked the table once we had paid for our lunch. "Are we staying here or heading back into LA?"

"I'm happy to stay," Carly commented.

"You just want to find some guys to hit on," Sam teased. Carly pouted but didn't deny the allegation, to the general merriment of us all.

With Carly wanting to stay, Sam, Freddie and I returned to the beach while the others decided to head back. We agreed to meet Beck and Jade at Jade's house the next morning and make our way to the rental properties Freddie wanted us to check out. André and the Seattle girls arranged a time for him to call around to see them and we got our stuff, said goodbye to our friends as Beck pulled the cab and RV out of the parking area and made our way back to the sand.

Sadly for Carly she wasn't able to find any cute guys to flirt with later on in the day, instead she had to settle for topping up – or rather starting on – her tan; seriously does the sun _ever_ shine up in Seattle? No offence to Freddie's best friend but it doesn't look like it if she's anything to go by, though _he_ was rather pale too when he first arrived the previous summer; he's definitely got a healthy glow about him now though.

"C'mon Carls," Sam groaned in bored frustration an hour or so later, "how long are we gonna sit here for? You're making us stay until you meet a guy?"

"Don't listen to her," Freddie reassured his friend. "We can stay all day if you want to." Sam scowled at him, Carly smiled and I hid my grin by rolling onto my front for a bit and ducking my head.

"Well if we're _staying here all day_," she imitated him badly, "then you're buying me an ice cream," Sam instructed Freddie and dragged my man to his feet. He sighed before turning to Carly and me and asking if we wanted one as well, which we did so the two of them set off for the stand a little way down the beach.

"Things are still great between you two then?" Carly asked happily.

"Yeah," I rolled over to face her, "things are great. Obviously right now I'm feeling a little…" I sighed, unable – or unwilling – to put everything into words right now.

Carly nodded. "I can't imagine how it must feel," she said softly.

"It's like _everything_ I know has changed, like a rug has been pulled from beneath me. It even…" I dropped my voice to a whisper, "it even made me wonder whether what Freddie and I have will last."

Quick as a flash she'd pulled me into a hug. "Freddie loves you; you know he'll do anything for you. We saw that last time I was down here," she shivered a little, presumably at the memory of the boy in the hospital, before continuing, "he's not gonna do that to you."

"I know," I said, trying to reassure and convince myself more than her, "and he said as much himself." I recounted the story Freddie had told me about him and his friend in the bar, what he had told his friend and how he was doing his best to convince me that he was here to stay. "I believe him, I really _do_, it's just that this has really shaken me."

We chatted a little more, trying to move onto happier topics (though my asking about her love live didn't work as she described herself as being in "a dry spell"). I mentioned Sam and the continuing perceived animosity I felt when she saw Freddie and me together, wondering what Carly's thoughts on that were.

"She's been dating a couple of guys – and terrifying them very quickly," she noted. "I know she and Freddie talked over Christmas and settled a few things. I talked to her after… January," she tried to be tactful and not bring up _that night_ again, "and she was concerned about him. I know that she knows you two are together and it's for real, but I think at Thanksgiving she finally realised what she had lost and it probably still hurts her to come to that realisation. It's been a part of what's made her act a little better since we got to college – a desire not to make the same mistakes again with another guy."

"You mean treating him like dirt for years," I commented bitterly. I could have said more, of course, about Carly's own part in it, but with us talking here, and her comforting me just now over everything, I chose not to go down that route. She bowed her head anyway but, before she could comment, the two of them returned with our treats, ending the conversation.

"Ok, I'm done," Carly announced morosely after finishing her ice cream; the beach was beginning to clear of people in our age group and more families were showing up for the afternoon. The rest of us, particularly Sam, were ready to leave as well and before long we were packed up and on the road back to Hollywood.

"Anything you girls want to do for the rest of the day," Freddie enquired of them, taking my arm gently to indicate that I too was included in the planning. Neither of our guests had any burning desires so we figured we'd just head home for the rest of the day, as we didn't know what André and the others had planned for them for the next day.

There was a definite frosty atmosphere when we arrived; Trina was sat at the near end of the couch, closest to the door, staring intently at the TV and ignoring our mom, who was sat on the other couch and trying to talk to her.

"Hi Tori," mom greeted me.

"Hi," I returned rather stiffly.

"Did you all have a good time?"

"Yes thanks," was all I really wanted to say.

She managed to engage Carly and Sam in a little conversation while Freddie and I headed for my room. I closed the door behind us and walked up to him, happy to be drawn into his strong and welcoming embrace.

"I don't know how much longer I can stand this Freddie." Tears were just starting to well in my eyes; his grip on me strengthened a little, firm yet gentle, strong but reassuring. He planted a gentle kiss on my neck as I struggled to keep the tears at bay just a little longer. "I don't know how long I can stay here with her after this."

He pulled away from me just a little, though he kept hold of me, and stood looking at me sombrely.

"Call your dad this evening," he suggested, "see where he's staying, what he's doing and maybe whether you can go and see him. It might help, so might us signing up for a place for next year soon – at least it would mean there was a light at the end of the tunnel for you."

I nodded; both of his suggestions made a lot of sense. "And…" he said, "_any_ time that you want to come to my place, you are always more than welcome. Obviously this week's tricky with our guests but you can always come and stay." Then he chuckled a little, "I'm sure none of the guys will object if you do."

I leaned in and kissed him softly. "Thanks Freddie," I whispered.

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><p><strong>AN: Thanks for reading, please add a review to let me know what you thought. I hope to get part 3 of their Spring Break week up within the next few days.<strong>


	33. Spring Break and Break Up Part III

**AN: Hello everyone and welcome to the third chapter in their Spring Break week. Thanks as always to those who read and reviewed the last chapter, so Challenge King, Agent-M and pbow – my thanks to you all for your kind words and feedback.**

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><p>Monday morning. It was nice not to have to get up for college, not that I wasn't enjoying life at UCLA – far from it, it was just that waking up in Tori's bed and in Tori's arms was much, much better. My girl surprised me a little by actually being awake before I was this morning and it was she who began a morning make-out session with a few gentle kisses as she sensed me beginning to stir.<p>

"Hey Freddie," she murmured into my collar bone as she felt me pull her into a cuddle.

"Hi gorgeous," I responded, kissing the top of her head. This encouraged her to leave my neck alone and return to my lips.

"So you're feeling better today?" I guessed, given how she was starting the morning.

"Yeah, a lot better, thanks to you. What time are we meeting Beck and Jade?"

"Oh," I had to remind myself that we had arranged the appointments to look for houses for next year, "we need to be there at 9:30. So that's," I glanced over her shoulder at the bed-side clock, "about an hour."

Tori groaned and began to get out of bed. "You take the shower," she offered, "I'll fix us some breakfast and shower once you're done."

I guess she's right; it'll take us a while to get ready to go but I'd have liked to have had a little longer just being with my girl. I guess we need to schedule a little time together for during this week.

"Did you mean it?" she asked me over breakfast. "About me maybe spending more time at your place from now on," she elaborated.

"Of course I did. You're always welcome there any time, as far as I'm concerned."

"You don't think the university would have a problem?"

"Only if someone told them," I shrugged. "Like I say, none of the guys will mind if you're around a lot," I grinned at her and she smiled back, "the only problem is you getting back to Hollywood from UCLA on a morning."

She nodded, knowing how bad the rush hour traffic would be and the horrendous time in the morning she would have to leave in order to make it to school on time. "Maybe we can spend weekends there rather than here," she suggested, "it's more convenient for your work and downtown we can hit a few places on an evening."

"Sounds good to me. Did you call your dad yet?"

"No," she shook her head. "I need to and I'll probably call him today sometime. There's no time now as we have to see the others but later on I'll talk to him and see how he's doing."

"Maybe you could meet him for a coffee or something," I suggested. "I'm sure as much as he'd appreciate the call he'd love to actually _see_ you – and Trina."

"Good idea; I'll suggest that. For now, though, we have houses to see."

She took my hand and we left the house for the short drive to Jade's house. Beck's car was already in the driveway when we got there so I assumed that it wouldn't be long before we were back on the road, although, to nobody's surprise, Jade was in the middle of a cup of coffee when she answered the door and let us in. I saw Beck leaning casually against the kitchen counter and went over to chat with him, realising a few moments later that the girls weren't with us.

"Any idea where they've gone?" I asked Jade's boyfriend.

"None whatsoever," he shrugged. "In the past that would have worried me, Jade off somewhere alone with Tori but now that she actually gets on with her… they're probably just talking."

I nodded; Tori had mentioned how concerned Jade was over what she was going through with her parents at the moment so it was natural that she'd want a quiet word with her to make sure that she was ok.

The two emerged a couple of minutes later; both were smiling and Jade's mug was empty. She quickly rectified that situation and offered us a cup (there was just about enough left in the pot so we both accepted) and we chatted while we drank as I went over the basics of the houses that we were going to see; mostly two-bedroomed, fairly small but enough for what we'd need and, crucially, affordable. This last point earned a few nods of approval, particularly from my girlfriend in the light of the uncertainty seeping into her life.

"I'll still need a part-time job," she complained, "maybe I can land some work as an extra or a backing singer or dancer over the summer; you know, try to get recognised and get my profile out there."

"It's what I'll be doing," Jade confirmed, "trying to get known is most of the battle. You already have a few people know you from your stunt girl performance," she smirked as she thought back on those few days; Tori suddenly became very interested in the table, "so you might have a foot in the door at least."

"How about you Beck?" I asked the actor.

"Same thing really, trying to get a few jobs as an extra here and there, pitching scripts to producers. If nothing comes of it then I'll look for something else part-time once I start college; I'm sure there'll be plenty of vacancies in LA."

"And speaking of LA," I drained my mug, "we should probably make a move before long now the rush hour traffic should have died down."

"Right, let's go see where we're living next year," Beck agreed. I saw the two girls' eyes meet and a flash of uneasiness traverse across their faces; they may get on a lot better but living together would be an entirely new experience for Tori and Jade. Of course there would be arguments and disagreements, hopefully they just wouldn't get _too_ serious.

"Are you _sure_ you're ok with this?" I asked my girl in a low voice as we slid into the back seat of Beck's car. "We could look for a smaller place just for us if you've got doubts about living with them."

By _them_ I obviously meant Jade, and Tori knew it, but she did her best to reassure me. "No, I'm sure it'll be fine," she insisted. "I've survived nearly eighteen years with Trina so I'm sure I can cope with Beck and Jade."

Nice diplomacy there Tori in listing them both.

"Ok, we're here," Beck called as his Satnav informed us that we'd reached the first place we were going to be looking at. It was one that I'd already expressed an interest in; we _could _just about walk to campus but it was a more logical drive or bus journey as it would be a little over a half-hour to walk it. Having enquired about it I had been in touch with the building's owner and he was due to meet us here in a few minutes so we quickly looked around the outside while we waited.

The soft squeak of brakes alerted us to the arrival of another car; I headed back around the front and saw a guy getting out of the car. I waved to him and he smiled.

"Hi Freddie," he said, guessing correctly that I was the person who had been asking about the place. "And these are?" he looked over my shoulder at the three others who had followed me back to the front.

"_Hopefully_ they're my housemates for next year," I explained, "that's Beck, Jade and," I smiled, "my girlfriend Tori."

"Nice to meet you all," he said. "Obviously with people living here, even if they're away on Spring Break, we can't be here too long. I _did_ warn them that I'd be showing some people around so hopefully it's not in too bad shape."

I nodded and fell into step behind him, taking Tori's hand as she caught up with me, the other two just behind us.

The "viewing" didn't take long; a quick look at the kitchen and living area. Two bathrooms (one an en suite), "that will help cut down on arguments," I muttered to Beck, he grinned happily in agreement and the two bedrooms – doubtless we'd fight over which one we each claimed but I was confident that it would work itself out. It was a pretty nice place, rather small but then you can only expect so much for students' budgets; at least as we'd be splitting the rent four ways it would be more affordable for us than for a lot of kids.

"What do you think?" I asked Tori as we returned to the front door; the owner was giving us a few moments to talk it over before he left.

"I like it. It's worth seeing the other places first but yeah, it's not a bad place at all."

"I agree," Jade chimed in. "Let's check out the others but be ready to give this guy a call and say we'll take it. Heck, maybe we can get it for the next three or four years rather than just one."

"Yeah, we might want to live together for a bit first before making it that long," Beck reasoned. Jade looked at him and he continued with a shrug, "Just in case there _do_ turn out to be any problems."

"I agree," I said. "We can see the other places, if none of them are any better then we can sign up for a year and maybe at Christmas, if it's all going well, we can talk about extending."

The girls agreed and we thanked the guy for showing us around, informing him that we hoped to get back to him with a decision by the end of the day.

"Where next?" Jade asked.

"Uh, the next one's a couple of blocks that way," I gestured in the appropriate direction.

We piled back into Beck's car and spent the next hour or so looking at places. Sadly we couldn't get inside any of them so we just had to snoop as best as we could without drawing any attention to ourselves. Mid-day was approaching by the time we'd had a look at the last one so we went in search of a café to get something to eat.

"I really should call my dad," Tori commented as we looked at the menu for one place.

"Ok, we'll be inside. You know what you want?" I asked, knowing that she'd need a bit of space for this conversation.

She did and told me what to order for her so the three of us sat inside, ordered and I kept a watchful eye on my girl as she paced back and forth outside, clearly deep in conversation with her father.

Tori joined us just as the waitress was bringing our plates over; she was smiling and seemed genuinely happy about how things had gone.

"Everything ok then?" I asked.

"Yeah he's fine. It's difficult on the force but he's been assigned a new partner; they've stuck Gary in a desk job for now so he doesn't have to see him during the day. He's obviously upset about everything but sounded really happy to hear from me and I'm meeting him for dinner tonight."

"That'll be nice for you both," Jade observed.

"And Freddie hopefully," my girl smiled, "he said you can come too."

"Sure," I shrugged, slightly surprised as I assumed that he would want to spend the time with his daughter – or daughter_s_. "Is Trina coming along too?" I asked her.

"No, he said to suggest that she see him tomorrow night so he gets to spend a couple of evenings with us, not just the one."

"Makes sense I guess," Beck commented as Jade nodded by his shoulder. She wore that tell-tale gleam in her eye which implied that she wanted to say something derogatory about the elder Vega sister but was biting her tongue due to the severity of the situation. From the stories I've heard this isn't something that the Jade of a year ago would have done for Tori.

"So, what do we want to do about housing?" Tori asked, seemingly eager to change the subject.

"I say we go for the first one," was Jade's suggestion; it was one that we were all happy to agree to.

"I'll call the guy."

Half an hour later we met back at the house and contracts were signed. Beck could head happily for Canada with mission accomplished and we could all look forward now to at least knowing where we'd be living next year. I'd have to clear out of my current place a couple of weeks before moving in there but Tori said I could leave anything I wanted there (as I'd likely be staying with her for the interim anyway), while Beck and Jade also offered to house any of my stuff that I needed to find a temporary home for.

We got back to Jade's house and wished our Canadian friend a good and safe trip; Jade assured us that she would keep herself amused for the rest of the week, probably hanging with Cat for a bit, though we did invite her to come along with us for whatever we had planned with Carly and Sam. Hopefully we'll see her at some point during the rest of the week, but it's up to her really. The couple wanted to spend a little time together before he left so we left them alone.

"What do you want to do now?" I asked my brown-haired girl as we got into her car.

"We could see what the others are doing and maybe hang with them for a while," she suggested.

"Sure, I'll call Carly and see where they are."

André, Cat and Robbie had taken the girls to Anaheim and Dingoland, something that slightly annoyed me when I realised that I had yet to go there myself. "I'd have gone with them one day this week if I'd known," I complained to Tori. She patted my arm and made a sympathetic face, promising to take me there one day if I really wanted to go. "I'm sure we can find a day over the summer when we're not busy," she assured me.

Bereft of much else to do we headed back to the Vega home to get ready for meeting her dad, and to give Trina the news that we had spoken to and would be seeing him. It galvanised her into giving her dad a call as well; they finalised arrangements for the following night and it was a far happier Trina who sat with us after talking to him.

We sat around just watching TV and lazing away the afternoon along with Trina until my friends returned. Carly, as usual, bounced through the door in a great mood; Sam dragged her feet a little as if the whole day had pained her.

"Hey girls, did you have a good time?" I asked. Carly nodded, Sam grunted.

"She did," my brunette best friend assured me, giving the blonde a playful shove in her back, "she's just cranky because she had to walk around the place; you know how lazy she is. How are you guys?"

"He's sulking because he wanted to go to Dingoland," my girl teased, pulling me close to her by looping her arm over my shoulders. Carly giggled and made an insincere "Aww" sound as she came over to join us on the couch, sitting on my other side from Tori, while Sam cast us a quick glance and went to raid the fridge.

"Did you look at the houses that you wanted to?" Carly enquired, remembering the reason why we hadn't been with them today.

"Better than that, we signed up for next year; the four of us will be house-mates," Tori declared excitedly. I noticed Trina shoot a partly surprised and perhaps slightly disappointed look in our direction; thinking about it for a moment I guess it's obvious that, given the circumstances, she doesn't really want to be separated from her sister at this time.

"We get the place over the summer so it's going to be a few months yet before we move in," I observed idly, casting a surreptitious look at my girl's older sister; this little titbit of news mollified her slightly. "_Hopefully_ Tori and Jade will get by without killing one another," I turned to my girl with a smile; she frowned for a moment before giggling. After we shared a few moments of laughter my girl leaned in for a kiss.

"Guys, not in public!" Trina whined; from the corner of my eye I could see Sam nodding slightly as she balanced whatever she had just taken from the Vegas' fridge. Tori ignored them both and kissed me again.

"Did the others not want to come in with you?" I asked the girls when the thought occurred that they had returned alone. Carly answered,

"Cat had to get home so André gave her a ride. He said he'd come by in the morning and we'd hang out for a while and see what else we wanted to do."

"Maybe it's a good thing," Tori piped up, "because _we_," she removed her arm from around my shoulders and took my hand as she stood, pulling me to my feet as well, "have to get ready to see my dad."

The two of us waved to the girls and headed upstairs; around fifteen minutes later we had changed into slightly smarter clothes (though still jeans and T-shirts but not the shorts and T's that we'd worn during the day) and were ready to go again.

"Give him my love," called Trina sincerely as we passed through the living area, "and tell him I'll see him tomorrow."

"I will," Tori promised, nodding at her older sister. I waved casually to the girls and followed my girlfriend out of the door.

Mr Vega had arranged to meet us at The Garden of Taxco on Harper; we arrived a little early, owing to light traffic, to be informed that he wasn't yet here so we sat in the waiting area and ordered sodas, which we nursed while we waited. He arrived soon after; as he walked through the door Tori leapt to her feet.

"Dad," she cried, starting towards him. He turned and the two embraced warmly.

"It's great to see you, sweetie," he said. He looked past his daughter and in my direction as I stood and made my way over to join them.

"How are you Freddie?" he asked, shaking my hand, while keeping his left wrapped around his youngest daughter. "We didn't really get to talk when you came over on Saturday."

"I'm fine, sir, thank you. I hope you're well."

He shrugged and answered, predictably, that he was as good as could be expected given the circumstances. We were shown to our table, Mr Vega ordered a beer and refills for our sodas, and we perused the menu while engaging in a little small talk, most of which was Tori urging her dad to tell us how his work was going. He did while we ordered and worked through our appetisers. As the entrees arrived he asked what was going on in our lives.

"We've found a house for next year," Tori told him excitedly.

"So my little girl's really leaving home?" he asked in a slightly cautious tone. My girlfriend nodded.

"I'll take care of her, sir, you know I will," I promised him.

"I do know that, Freddie, but I'll still worry about her," he explained. "How's your mother?" he turned back to his daughter.

"I've not seen much of her," my girl admitted, "I don't really _want_ to at the moment."

"Tori," he said softly, "it's not my intention to have you hate your mother or anything…"

"I _know_," she insisted, "but I don't like what she's done, that she's brought things to where they are now and I really don't have anything nice to say to her." She returned to her enchiladas with an air of finality about that part of the discussion. Her dad and I traded a look before returning to our own dinners.

"What are you doing for the rest of the evening?" Tori asked as her dad paid the check and we prepared to leave.

"Just me and the TV in my hotel room," he shrugged.

"Want some company?" she offered.

"You kids have better things to be doing than babysitting me," he protested.

"I _want_ to spend time with you," Tori glanced at me and I nodded, happy to give her dad a bit of support at this time.

"Ok, there's a hotel bar, we could have a couple of drinks down there and see how late you two want to stay," he proposed in defeat, leading the way to the cars.

"Thank you," Tori squeezed my hand as she followed her dad's car back towards his hotel. "I appreciate you coming along so I can spend a bit more time with him."

"He's your dad, you want to be with him and it sucks that he'd be alone," I reasoned. "Besides, it's not like we really had any other plans for tonight."

"No, I wonder how my sister's getting on with Carly and Sam," she added thoughtfully as we pulled into the hotel car park.

"I'm sure there'll be some stories to tell when we ask them," I laughed, "but for now, let's have a nice evening with your dad."

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><p><strong>AN: I hope you all enjoyed this little update. Exactly how Tori and Jade co-exist as housemates is something that I can't wait to look at, but that's quite a way in the future yet. Please don't be shy about dropping me a review and letting me know what you thought of this. PD.<strong>


	34. Tori Goes Platinum

**AN: Hello everyone and welcome to my latest chapter of this little story; I hope you are all well and had a good weekend. Thanks as always go to those of you who read, and particularly reviewed, the last chapter – **

**Challenge King, yes Tori and Jade coexisting without killing one another could be tough but I think the girls may just manage it with a bit of luck. **

**Agent-M – I'm glad you're enjoying it and its direction. **

** Jevin Watkins – I'm glad you find it realistic and that you love it – and here **_**is**_** that update you wanted.**

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><p>With Spring Break over it was back to school for us all. I had left the Vegas' home yesterday evening, Tori driving me back to campus and staying with me until fairly late, much to my dorm-mates' delight; they were tactful enough not to make any overly vulgar comments to us, or to me once she had left, but it was obvious that they appreciated the "eye candy", urging her to "come along any time" as she was leaving.<p>

"Sorry about them," I said as I walked her to her car.

"Ah, it's ok," she shrugged, "it's a nice little ego boost to know that so many college guys will find me hot when I get there," she added teasingly.

"Just remember which one loves you the most," I reminded her, leaning in for a kiss.

"You might need to keep reminding me just _how_ much you love me," her tone was deliciously flirtatious and playful.

"I don't think that will be a problem when we're sharing a house next year, do you?" I smirked. "Good night," I whispered, kissing her tenderly.

"Good night Freddie," she gave me one last kiss before getting in her vehicle and heading for home.

I was sad to be parted from her again after we had spent just over a week together; in a way I felt that it was good preparation for next year, being together almost 24/7 for the past week. Granted it hadn't been a _typical_ week, with Carly and Sam down here (they had left on the Saturday afternoon) and of course the on-going troubles between the Vega parents with the consequential issues between Mrs Vega and her two daughters. Trina's mood had lifted considerably after her own evening spent in her father's company but the girls still clearly missed their dad and were upset that he was no longer home. Tori was continuing to chat to him on the phone most evenings and had arranged to see him after school one night this week but it obviously wasn't the same. Unlike me, the occasional phone call to my mother was ample contact really; I had hoped that she would calm down eventually but even though she had to accept that I was growing up she still told me, every call, that she worried – particularly in the aftermath of coming down after my little meeting with that pack of goons.

"Things still good between you guys then?" Tom asked brightly later that night as we prepared for the following morning.

"I hope so; we signed up for a place together for next year," I laughed. He seemed a little surprised at the news.

"Moving in with your girlfriend – quite a step, dude," he observed.

"It is," I commented thoughtfully, "but we both want to do it. We'll be living with two of her school friends, who are also a couple. She didn't _really_ want to be in campus accommodation so we figured we'd look for something and, with there being four of us, we've been able to afford somewhere pretty good."

"Well good luck bud," he smiled sincerely. I nodded my thanks.

The next morning was passing in a fairly typical way; we had classes, I chatted to my friends and we caught up on each other's Spring Break weeks and got back into the routine of the course. The serene nature of the day was to be shattered, however, by an exuberant phone call as we were leaving Cooperage after some quick lunch-time pool.

"Hey Tori, is everything ok?" I asked in mild concern; it was unusual to get a call from my girl during the day as we usually video-chatted on a night.

"Yes but Mason Thornesmith is going to find a brand new act to headline the Platinum Music Awards and he's looking for audition tapes," she cried excitedly.

"Ok, take a breath," I laughed softly.

"Sorry, it's just an awesome opportunity and I want to win it," she declared, "and I need your help."

"Of course, anything I can do," I offered, knowing how much it would mean to my girl to get the opportunity of a lifetime like this; it could catapult her overnight into the stratosphere of the industry.

She made plans to come over after school and we'd talk about ideas and eventually I'd shoot the video for her, drawing on my skills from iCarly to see what we could get. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for my girl and we were both determined not to blow it.

I was a little distracted during the afternoon; my friends understood after I relayed the conversation to them. Fortunately they were willing to pick up the slack and to make sure I didn't miss anything while my mind wandered to what I'd need to do to make my girl's audition tape as perfect as it could be.

Soon enough the afternoon was done; I left my last lecture just after 4 and Tori was sat outside the building, leaning against her car. As she knew my classmates she greeted them happily before treating me to a hug and a couple of little kisses, causing Andy to urge us to "get a room".

"Sounds like good advice," Tori smiled, "your place is fairly close," she told me with a wicked smirk and we got in her car to head back there, waving to the guys as we did. I received a text a few moments later and laughed as I read it.

"What's the joke?" my girl asked. I handed her the phone as we approached my dorm; she took it as she parked and read Andy's message – _How did you get so lucky?_

I took her hand as she locked the vehicle and led her inside my dorm and through to my room. "So, work or make out?" I asked in a half-joking voice, knowing how big a deal this was to her.

"I think we've time for both," she whispered seductively, turning aggressor in the blink of an eye and giving me a surprisingly firm shove to the chest, knocking me backwards onto my bed; she towered over me with a predatory grin before swooping down and capturing my lips with her own.

Her hands reached for the hem of my T-shirt so I matched her move and pretty soon I felt we had shown one another, once again, just how much we do love one another.

We lay there quietly afterwards, cuddling and trading soft kisses under the covers of my bed before hearing the outside door of the dorm open.

"I guess that's our cue to think about starting working," I said in a disappointed tone. Tori groaned as well; as much as she wanted and _needed_ to work on her video she obviously did enjoy it when we shared our little moments of intimacy.

My room door opened and Tom walked in, tossing his bag casually to the floor near his bed. "Oh, sorry bro," he commented as he saw us, "I'll uh…" he gestured with his thumb to the living area and, as redness crept up his face, he turned and left the room. We tries to stifle our laughs so as to not make the poor guy feel any worse and got dressed again before looking in on him.

"Sorry Tom," I apologised, "we need a warning system," I added with a chuckle as Tori wrapped her arms around my waist; I slipped my left around her middle and she kissed my cheek affectionately. "Anyway, we need to work on a project for her so we'll be brainstorming in there for a while if that's ok."

"Yeah sure," he waved us off, "I'll just grab my bag and a couple of books so I can get some work and some reading done then it's all yours."

"Thanks dude." And with that we headed back inside my room. After Tom grabbed his things we spent the rest of the evening deciding on the song my girl would sing and what sort of video we wanted to shoot; it would take two more evenings to get it done, the final recording of the song had to take place at her home so that she could play the piano to accompany her song. We then put together a video while she sang without backing and I cut the video of that together with the audio from her place to make, if I do say so myself, a pretty impressive video for her audition; it was one she was delighted to submit.

The video seemed to have done the trick because she called me on the Friday morning; I was just about to go into the lecture theatre when my phone went and, after answering, my girl almost screamed down the line to me.

"He picked me. He picked _me_!" she declared ecstatically.

"Thornesmith?" I hazarded a guess.

"Yeah, he wants me to meet him at the Neutronium Records HQ tonight after school and arrange everything for the show."

"Wow, Tori, that's… _fantastic_ just isn't strong enough." I was delighted for my girl. "So what time do you need to be there?" I wondered if I would be able to go along as I needed to be at work this evening.

"It's right after school; they're sending a car for us."

"Us?" I was surprised.

"Yeah. Me, André and Cat are going to go down there after school; he said I could bring a couple of friends. I _want_ you there but the meeting's too soon for you to come along this time and the car is just going from school to Neutronium…"

"I understand," I cut her off in what was supposed to be a reassuring voice. "Have a great time there and I'll see you later."

"Yes, I'll be there for when you finish work; we could catch a movie after?"

"Sounds good," I agreed and our plan was set.

It was a great weekend for us; we spent nearly all of it together (I had worked Friday instead of Saturday this week in addition to my midweek shift so we would have more time together). I didn't think that we had any plans made so it was a surprise when Tori hauled me out of bed unusually early on a Saturday morning (Tom hadn't made it home; I assumed he had a new girlfriend – at least for that night anyway).

"What's with the early start?" I grumbled, taking a seat at the table while my girl bustled around the kitchen area preparing us some breakfast.

"You'll see," she smiled, sliding a plate in front of me and planting a quick kiss on my lips. "Come on, eat up," she encouraged as she sat with her own plate. We ate in silence, mine thoughtful and slightly suspicious as I eyed my grinning girlfriend.

Twenty minutes later we were on the road. "I still don't know where we're going," I lamented.

"You'll see," was her cryptic, enigmatic reply.

"No way," I said, about forty minutes later as we left the I-5.

"Uh huh," she smiled teasingly. "You said you wanted to go, so here we are."

A few minutes later we were parking up at Dingoland. I felt like a little kid again as we entered the park; from the stroll down Main Street, hand-in-hand with the girl I loved to Fantasyland and Adventureland I had an amazing time. Perhaps inevitably my favourite part of the day (other than the fact that I was spending it with Tori) was the trip to Tomorrowland; I felt at home there and was able to give my girl a little description of some of the technologies that they brought to life in that part of the park and, of course, try my hand at Nug-nug's Training Academy. I knew just how jealous Spencer would be when I told him about that.

We took a little break for lunch at one of the many over-priced cafeterias in the park before finishing our trip with a look around New Orleans Square, Critter Country and Frontierland (we gave Toontown a miss, though I was told Carly and Sam loved it – cartoons are far more their thing than mine).

"Are you a happy boy now?" Tori teased as we left the park hours later. I ignored the jibe and gave my girl a grateful kiss instead.

"I sure am," I told her. "It was an amazing day, thank you."

The rest of the weekend was spent in one another's company, a lot of it around campus or at a local mall; we just hung out together and enjoyed the time we could spend with one another.

The next week, though, was an unusual one; Jade called me in concern on the Wednesday night as I was leaving work informing me of a bizarre change that had overcome my girl. I knew that she had seen Thornesmith again on Monday after school and she had seemed a little… off when we spoke after that meeting, though she had insisted that it was nothing. My gothic friend told me about how she had changed her appearance and started acting like a diva, completely unlike Tori. Her wardrobe and hairstyle had also changed (the pictures Jade sent me were not flattering in my opinion). I was unable to speak to my girl that night as she and André, for some reason, gone out for dinner together. I wasn't _jealous_, I trusted my girl completely, but it was an odd occurrence, particularly when André _also_ called me later that night complaining about how she had made a scene in the restaurant.

"Thornesmith," I told him, "it has to be. I don't know _what_ he said to her but he has to be the one behind all of this chizz." The question is what can I do about it…

I wouldn't get a chance to see her before Friday night but we spoke on Thursday. I asked how she was and about her preparation for the show that Sunday; she sounded a little evasive and uncomfortable as she assured me that everything was fine and that she was looking forward to it but I didn't press or reveal what the others had said as I wanted to confront her with that in person and have a chance to talk about it with her before she next saw them, lest she see them calling me as some sort of betrayal on their part.

As was becoming our "new tradition" Tori met me outside work as I left the campus store on Friday night; I saw that she was still wearing her new look (horrible but I wasn't going to say that the second I saw her). Instead I greeted her with a hug and a kiss.

"Tori?" I began as we walked, voicing something that I had thought of when I first got to thinking about the potential knock-on effects of her being catapulted to mega-stardom. "Are you still planning on going to college or will you be away touring and making albums?"

She sighed and turned to me; tears were shimmering in her eyes. She opened her mouth but there were no words to be found.

"Hey, hey," I whispered softly, cupping her cheek as tenderly as I could, "what's the matter?"

She shook her head and gestured towards my dorm; we walked in silence and made our way instead. Thankfully as it was Friday night the living area was deserted; we sat on the couch and I took her hands in my own, facing her and encouraging her to meet my eyes.

"What's the matter?" I asked in a low voice.

"Mason…" she said through rasping sobs. "Freddie, look at me. I'm not me anymore and not _just _my clothes, I've been acting like a… well like Trina," she snarled her sister's name a little; despite the fact that they got on better now she could still recognise behaviour more befitting of the elder Vega than of her. "I was at a restaurant the other night and made a scene, all part of raising my 'profile'," she air-quoted the last word. "But the last straw was today; he told me that I'd need to leave behind the people who would hold me back," and she looked me dead in the eye, clearly conveying Thornesmith's meaning, "and I can't do that. I love you too much," she lost all control and wept hysterically against my chest.

I took her in my arms and held her tight and close as I attempted to comfort her.

"You need to say no to him then," I whispered when my girl, _still_ my girl, had calmed sufficiently.

"I can't," she sniffled, wiping her eyes, "if I don't do things _exactly_ as he says, he said he'd fire me. I don't want to give up this chance, but I won't give _you_ up for it Freddie," she wailed afresh.

"Let's sleep on it," I urged her, "and see if we can come up with a plan." She nodded and we made our way, earlier than normal, to my room. I held her as she struggled to fall asleep, my mind racing over how we could get her the best of both worlds.

I awoke the next morning to the feeling of soft lips gently kissing my cheek and neck, a sweet, tickling sensation. I assumed (and hoped!) that it was Tori, which of course it was and I kissed her enthusiastically as I opened my eyes and saw her beautiful, smiling face shining back at me.

"Hey, how are you this morning?"

"I'm better thanks," she reassured me, "I just wish there was a way out of this for me, other than quitting the gig."

"How about being yourself?" I suggested. She looked confused so I elaborated, "Thornesmith _won't_ be in your dressing room beforehand… I could be if you want," I offered with a sly smile. "You go, you dress as Tori Vega, you go out there and wow the world as you and you see what happens from there."

"Mason would be furious," she gasped.

"It's a fait accompli at that time," I noted, "he can't drop you once you're on stage so he'll have to let you perform."

"That's brilliant!" she enthused, kissing me again.

The plan worked exactly as we hoped; she headlined the show and received rapturous applause for a song called "Make It In America"; I'd heard her practice it a few times that weekend; my girl _nailed_ it up there as I watched from backstage. She left the stage after taking her bow and leapt into my waiting embrace.

"You!" a furious voice called to us. "We had a deal," the old dude snarled at Tori, "and you went back on it." He glared at me for a moment, doubtless assuming that 'the guy who would hold her back' was responsible for it. "This is what I warned you about, hanging about with people that will stop you from being a success," he told her, "you won't be getting signed." He stormed off radiating his ire.

Tori bowed her head; she expected it but it was still a crushing blow to lose the opportunity of a lifetime like this. I pressed my right index finger gently under her chin and guided her to meet my eyes.

"I'm proud of you," I told her. "You wouldn't compromise who you are for your shot at the big time, you performed in front of _millions_ tonight so you've got the profile from it, you still have all your talent and…" she looked expectantly at me as I smiled, "I love you Tori Vega."

She threw her arms around me and kissed me passionately before looking at me and wearing a huge smile.

"I love you too Freddie," she told me and we kissed again.

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><p><strong>AN: Ok so that was my little interpretation of Tori Goes Platinum. Cat's still off eating bibble somewhere but that wasn't really needed for this chapter so she's enjoying that in secret behind a dumpster somewhere in Hollywood. I hope you enjoyed it, please let me know one way or the other via a review and I'll see you all back here for the next chapter. PD.<strong>


	35. Star Spangled Tori Part I

**AN: Hello everyone and welcome to this chapter; it's another two-parter because the second part will be in Freddie's PoV as we explore the end of the episode, and a few other things as sub-plots with a bit of luck.**

**My thanks to those of you who read and reviewed the last part; Challenge King, glad you liked it and Freddie's message, that she should be herself, and her resolution to value him more highly than the opportunity she had – I liked that part of it.**

**Pbow – glad you liked it; your "what happened next" was good as well.**

**The Question23 – I'm not too surprised that Mason isn't a popular character really.**

**Jevin Watkins – I'm glad you liked it. The four sharing a house could be a lot of fun to explore. I'm not sure I really see Freddie as THAT high maintenance though, certainly compared to other characters.**

**Agent M – yes, things are working out well for them at the moment; long may it continue.**

**And here is Chapter 35 of this little story. Please enjoy.**

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><p>Life at home was still difficult, one of the reasons that I was spending as little time as possible there. Trina was still miserable, sullen and withdrawn; she told me she was avoiding mom whenever she could. For my part I spent as much time as I could out of the house; weekends were spent with Freddie (obviously) while on an evening I tried to fix up "study dates" with my friends (less so with Cat than with Beck and Jade or André, admittedly) which meant I left early for school and got home late. I called dad fairly regularly (two or three times a week) and tried to see him one evening a week; he had recently found a small one-bedroomed apartment to rent rather than spending all his time in a hotel.<p>

Dad was holding up pretty well; he hadn't spoken to mom since he left over Spring Break as he said it was just too painful. She had tried calling a couple of times in the early days but he had ignored her phone calls and she had soon given up.

"_Do you think you'll ever talk to her again?" I had asked in a small voice. He took me into his arms and held me tight._

"_One way or another I'll have to," I knew precisely what he meant and my heart sank further into my chest, "but whatever happens, I love you and your sister," he insisted, kissing the top of my head tenderly._

"_I love you too dad," I whispered through my tears._

There had, at least, been _some_ good news for me in recent days; following on from my performance at the Platinum Music Awards (true to his word Mason had decided not to sign me to the Neutronium Records label) as I had been approached by a couple of other labels (including Shaun Quincy's RPX; he remembered me from the song André and I sang at his daughter's birthday party and he said my performance at the PMAs helped to convince him and his colleagues that their label _needed_ to sign me – it's nice to be wanted)and I was currently looking to enter into talks with some of them. It would require some sort of representation, something that Anthony, my music teacher at Hollywood Arts, and I had discussed. He knew a couple of guys through past students and had given me names of the ones that he trusted; I was in the process of setting up meetings with them before getting back to the record labels.

Additionally I'd received a call yesterday over lunch; Northridge College wanted me to sing the National Anthem before the St Bernards' next home basketball game. It would be televised locally and was a huge honour for me so it was something, having agreed to, that I looked forward to with slightly nervous apprehension, especially after Jade's little piece of 'advice'.

"Don't forget the words," she advised with an unnecessarily wicked grin; of course forgetting the lyrics was now my major concern.

"You'll be fine," Freddie had assured me. "You sang in front of how many millions at the PMAs and you absolutely nailed it – so much so that you have people queuing up to sign you and make you the star you deserve to be." Did I mention how sweet my guy is? "I'll be there to cheer you on and you will deliver another amazing performance."

He should be right, of course. He also reminded me of the stories we'd told him of my first performances – both singing _Make It Shine_ to get into the school in the first place despite being an absolute mess with nerves as I was thrust onto the stage (if ever there was a time for stage fright it would surely be that one right?) and my first lead role in _Uptown, Downtown_ – I had to learn five songs and all my lines in little over a weekend, all the while having a face like a zombie thanks to Cat and her Grizzly Glue. He _was_ right; if I could learn songs and lines that quickly with everything else going on then the National Anthem of my country shouldn't be a problem. I was practicing like crazy just in case.

The night after I got the news my mom sought me out at home and asked if she could accompany me there to watch me perform. Despite the frostiness that her actions had engendered between us I said yes and spoke to the college about how many tickets I could get; they said they'd let me have two so Freddie and my mom would be going (Trina was upset that they didn't ask _her_ to sing it so she said she'd settle for watching on the TV, as would my friends).

While I was between classes on the morning of the game I received a slightly surprising call from Shaun Quincy himself; he wanted to check on me, whether I'd given any more thought to which label I intended to join (of course I have!) and, he said, a general chat about how I was getting on. Mindful of what my, and my friends', plans were I told him that I intended to go to college so that I would have my education to fall back on if for some reason my career didn't take off the way we all hoped or maybe if I decided after a couple of years that I didn't like the lifestyle or there were no movie offers or any of the multitude of pitfalls that could still litter the road ahead of me. He said he understood entirely and that his company would be happy for me to attend UCLA, work for them (in terms of writing and recording my music) in my spare time or in holidays and possibly do a tour or album release over the summer breaks. He said that he would be eager to have _something_ released, even a single but with an album well in the works, before I started college so this summer would be extremely busy, but I could understand the reasoning behind what he was saying; they, _if_ I signed with them, wanted us all to cash in on the profile I had from my recent performance and the fame/notoriety that I had earned in the build-up to it. I suspect any other label would say the same thing about releasing stuff; the question was whether they would be as willing to let me have my college career as well and, of course, what sort of deals they were willing to offer.

Fortunately I had my music lesson with Anthony later on that day so I was able to talk to him at the end about what Shaun had said. He pulled a bit of a face at the news, feeling that they shouldn't really be contacting me directly when I'd already said that I'd be seeking representation, but he did agree that it sounded like a good and accommodating offer from their side. He encouraged me to write down as much as I could remember about what had been said and to ensure that it was used as a basis for the negotiations if and when the time came to actually hammer out a contract deal.

I had a couple of meetings with would-be agents or representatives lined up for the following week but in the meantime I had the show to get ready for. Mom would pick Freddie up en route from work and they would arrive at the college separately from me (Northridge were providing a car to make sure I was there in plenty of time). I had a change of clothes (a smarter pair of skinny jeans and a nice top and jacket) with me so that I could get ready for my performance on arrival there. The car was waiting as we left school after our last class and my friends wished me luck, told me that they'd be watching and Jade, unnecessarily, reminded me again not to forget the lyrics, with her trademark wicked smirk in place.

As I sat in the car I had a little time to breathe and take stock of everything that was going on. Something had seemed up with Cat (even more so than usual) over the last few days and I knew that it was worrying Jade; my gothic friend had commented that she saw her buying an unusually large number of Wahoo Punches from the vending machine in school and disappearing from view at regular intervals. Jade had tried to follow her but without success. I really had little to contribute in terms of thoughts as to what was going on with that girl so I hadn't said too much, trusting that she would open up when she was ready to – or that Jade would bludgeon her way to the bottom of things in time. I also knew that I would soon need to make a decision on which of the competing labels (if any) to sign up to. I was looking forward to meeting the experts next week as it would mean I could get them to field all the calls that I was still getting (despite Anthony's observation that this isn't how the companies _should_ behave) and they would, hopefully, help me to make the decision that was best for my future. I knew that Freddie had had his own issues with contracts and deals (some shoe company a few years ago; he told me the name once but I can't remember it) so he reiterated the point of making sure that I get the best deal that I can, and dealing with someone that I think I can trust. I decided during the journey to invite him along to meet them, if he can make it, so that I can have a second opinion of the agents (twice the likelihood of alarm bells setting off if someone unscrupulous shows up) and to make it clear that we're there as something of a package; I'm going to college and living with my guy – that is non-negotiable.

Before I knew it we had arrived at Northridge College and I was being ushered through the gym complex to a small changing room, a _very nice _changing room. I thanked my guides as they left me alone to get ready, smirking at the thought that I wished that Freddie was here as well; we could have a little fun and relaxation with this place all to ourselves. To that end I texted him to see where he was; sadly he and my mom were stuck in traffic and hadn't yet arrived, though they were confident of being there in time for my moment in the spotlight. I was disappointed, particularly as we're not going to have the opportunity later on in the evening as we need to get Freddie back to UCLA before going back home to Hollywood (my car's at home as I knew they were sending one for me so I got a ride in with Trina, which was painful; I would be heading over to see Freddie some time tomorrow afternoon when he gets off work).

Finally my moment arrived; I got a knock on the door letting me know that they were ready for me. At that precise second my phone beeped; it was Freddie: _Got here, we're in our seats. Knock 'em dead!_ I smiled at his message and the nerves that had been growing in my stomach seemed to dissolve again as I stepped out of the room and followed my guide to the main arena.

"And now, in honour of America – please rise for the singing of our National Anthem and welcome local high-schooler and star of the Platinum Music Awards; Tori VEGA," the tannoy announcer heralded my arrival. The crowd were on their feet applauding politely, though there were a few brief wolf-whistles from one section of the audience… college boys; thanks guys but I've already got one. Speaking of whom, I scanned the crowd, having a vague idea of where the tickets were located, and spotted my man, mom was stood next to him and both were applauding wildly. I smiled and waved in their direction, turning my wave to the rest of the attended masses as well so as not to appear to be showing any favouritism to one section over the others and took my position by the microphone.

"_Oh say, can you see…_" I began, any residual nerves leaving me as I began my performance; after all _this_ is where I belong, performing on stage in front of crowds and cameras.

Jade's advice was unnecessary as I continued through the song without any trouble of its lyrics; the only problem came when I reached the closing lines. "_Oh say does that Star Spangled Banner yet…_"Without warning the team mascot, Buck, the St Bernard, broke free from the cheerleader holding its leash and ran towards me, the leash tripping my and tangling around my leg as the dog ran amok, elongating the word "wave" into more of a yelp. I stuck to my task and completed the last line as the mad dog dragged me around the court; I felt a total fool but I had to do my job.

Finally, once I had finished, the dog was caught and suddenly Freddie was at my side disentangling me from its leash.

"Are you alright?" he asked in concern.

"Yeah, but my pride isn't," I groaned into his arms, "I must have looked a complete idiot out there."

"You nailed the Anthem," he replied, clearly unwilling to answer my specific point; it was all the confirmation that I needed and I groaned again as he kissed the top of my head sympathetically.

Mom joined us and wrapped her arms around me from behind, obviously looking to add her own consolation into the mix; I was grateful for her action, especially with the recent awkwardness and all the chizz that had been going on between us. With the game about to start they ushered me to our seats and the three of us sat through it; Freddie seemed to quite enjoy the game, though my mind was entirely on the misery of my humiliation, something he seemed to realise as he constantly took my hand or drew me into a cuddle during the game while I tried to ignore the kids sat in front of us who kept turning around and grinning at me.

Northridge won the game 105-102; Freddie was talking excitedly about the game as we left whereas I just wanted to leave and never darken the door of the college again.

We dropped Freddie off at UCLA; he said goodnight to my mom and I got out of the car to give him a proper goodnight kiss. Sadly with mom in the car I couldn't linger; I got back in and we headed for home, until she surprised me by turning down a side street about half way there and parking the car.

"Are you ever going to talk to me again?" she asked quietly, voice laced not with impatience but with what appeared to be misery.

"What do you expect me to say? Not to worry about the fact that you cheated on dad and ripped our family apart?" I shot back; she lowered her eyes and shame crept onto her face.

"I know, sweetie, I know," she dropped her voice to a whisper. "I know _exactly_ what I've done, and how much I hurt him – and you and Trina."

"Then why did you do it?"

"I don't know," she shrugged. "I guess I got flattered by the attention from Gary, the way he looked at me – like your father always did…"

"Dad _still_ looked at you like that," I objected.

"I know but…" she trailed off. "I have no excuses for what I did. I regret it and if I could turn back the clock then I would, but I can't. I don't know if I can ever ask your father to forgive me but I hope that one day you, and Trina, can find it in your hearts to do so," she finished with a sob.

"So do I mom," I admitted, "but it's going to take some time."

She nodded, started the car and we completed the trip home. To my surprise, when we walked through the door, my friends and sister were sat on the couches.

"What are you guys doing here?"

"I invited them," mom admitted in an embarrassed tone of voice. "I wanted them all to see your moment of triumph; I didn't know that crazy dog would do what it did!"

"Oh I must have looked such an idiot!" I complained.

"Well here you can look, I have it up on the DVR," Trina commented with an evil grin; I gave her my best "death glare" which she ignored. I guess I need some more lessons from Jade, speaking of whom she was also grinning wickedly at me and looking rather too amused with the whole situation.

True to her word my evil sister called up my performance on the DVR; true to my worst fears I _did_ look like a complete idiot out there being dragged around by the dog.

"Why didn't you just complete the song _before_ the dog dragged you around?" Cat asked me. I gave her a hopeless look and buried my head in a cushion, leaving it there as my friends left with consoling words and pats on my back; I vaguely heard Jade say something about her and Robbie offering Cat a lift home as they left.

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><p><strong>AN: Thanks for reading, please don't be shy about dropping a review to let me know what you thought and come back soon for part 2 of this portion of the tale. PD.<strong>


	36. Star Spangled Tori Part II

**AN: Hello everyone and welcome to part 2 of this latest portion of the story. My thanks to pbow and Challenge King for their reviews of the previous chapter – and to everyone who is reading (and hopefully enjoying) this.**

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><p>I gave Tori and her mom about an hour to get back home from my dorm and to settle in after the events of the day before I called my girl to see how she was doing after the embarrassing episode at the college basketball game; I myself had had to field a few questions from my friends in the dorm, all of whom knew (because I had told them) that Tori was performing. They were (mostly) sympathetic to her woes, though a couple did find it all rather amusing; I guess had it been anyone else other than my girl then I'd have been able to see the funny side of it too.<p>

I was a little surprised when she didn't pick up; I tried again and Trina answered, to my surprise, explaining that Tori was miserable and currently could be heard sobbing in the bathroom. The elder Vega sister tried in vain to persuade my girl to open the door and speak to me so I dashed from the dorm, still on the phone, and headed towards my friend Andy's place, giving up on talking to Tori and texting him instead as I approached. He was stood at the door as I arrived, a confused expression on his face.

"Hey dude, what's up?"

"You saw the game tonight?"

"Yeah," he nodded ruefully, "great game but I'm guessing that's not the part that you're concerned about."

"You guess right; Tori's in tears over it and locked herself in the bathroom. She wouldn't talk to _me_ when I called just now."

"So you need..?" he prompted.

"I need to borrow your car tonight."

"Dude, you've _got_ to get your own wheels for LA," he chided but slipped his hand in his jeans pocket and tossed me the keys.

"I know. Thanks bud," I told him sincerely and headed for his vehicle.

Twenty minutes and a number of potential traffic violations later I pulled up at the Vega residence. I knocked on the door and Mrs Vega answered, smiling in surprise as she saw me.

"Hi Freddie, I wasn't expecting you over."

"Me neither," I admitted, "but hearing that Tori was crying in the bathroom? Where else could I be?"

"Come in," she invited me graciously. "I hope you can snap her out of it."

I made my way to the second floor of the Vegas' home and knocked softly on the bathroom door.

"Go away," I heard my girl mumble through her obvious tears, accompanied by a slight splash of water.

"Tori?" I called softly, "it's Freddie. Please let me in."

I heard a larger splash and a few seconds later the door opened slightly to reveal my girlfriend's shocked face.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, wiping her eyes; they looked a little red and puffy.

"Making sure you're ok, which you're obviously not," I said softly, cupping her cheek with my hand through the crack in the door.

"Singing's my dream and tonight I was made to look a complete fool out there," she wailed as her composure completely deserted her. She stepped away from the door and I entered the room, confirming that she _had_ just got out of the bath.

"People know you're a great singer; you wowed them at the PMAs. _That's_ the Tori Vega that the world knows and loves, the amazing singer who is destined for superstardom. This is just a… an anecdote to look back on in years to come and a chance to, hopefully, appreciate that all publicity is good publicity," I insisted. "And as for me," I took a breath and our eyes met, my hand still on her cheek and my left forearm coming to rest on her right shoulder, "I love you no matter what. You'll _always_ be amazing to me."

She threw her arms around me, burying her head in the crook of my neck; the impact of her body into mine caused me to push the door shut behind me as we continued to embrace. She pulled her head back and sought my lips; I was happy to oblige with as deep a kiss as she wanted (and it deepened pretty quickly).

"Oh look," she mock-observed as she pulled away from me, "I got your clothes all wet." Her eyes glinted mischievously. "You can't walk around all day in wet clothes," she continued, purring seductively.

"Maybe you're right," and I glanced over her shoulder at the large bath in the corner, "and that bubble bath _does _look inviting."

"It does now, doesn't it?" she commented. "It wasn't too good before but now… there's _something_ appealing about it."

She helped me eagerly out of my clothes and took my hand in her own as we crossed the short distance to the tub. I kept hold of her hand as she clambered back into it before she tugged impatiently, urging me to join her, which I did readily. A little water slopped over the side from the combined volume of two people in the tub but neither of us noticed as we cuddled beneath the surface in the warm, relaxing waters. Tori soon turned her head to attempt to claim my lips again; I was happy to oblige and my girl soon wriggled around to find herself lying on top of me. We smiled and continued to kiss, among other things, until the water began to grow tepid.

"I see you're in a better mood," Trina drawled as her sister left the bathroom dressed in her robe. Her eyes raked over my body, covered only by a towel and she smiled at the sight.

"Easy girl, this boy's taken," Tori warned her, looping her arm inside mine and steering me towards her room; Trina worked hard to keep any look of disappointment from her face before heading for your own room.

Mrs Vega walked up the stairs at the commotion. "Oh good, you look happier," she commented before eyeing me. "I'm guessing you were able to help then," she smirked. "Goodnight kids," her smile broadened and she retreated back downstairs.

"Goodnight mom," Tori called.

"Things are a little better between you two then?" I asked as we reached the sanctuary of my girlfriend's bedroom and locked the door behind us.

"Yeah," she said with a half-smile, "we were able to talk a little on the way home about it all. Things _aren't_ back to normal, maybe they never will be if she and dad…" she trailed off and looked away, swallowing down a lump in her throat before continuing, "but definitely they're a little better."

"I'm glad," I said sincerely, "I've not seen my dad since we left for Seattle; I've no idea where he is or what he's doing."

"You never thought of looking?" she asked curiously. It was something I'd never talked about – not to her, nor with Carly, Sam or anyone else. I knew that eventually I would open up to Tori, it wasn't that I was _keeping_ it from her, it had never come up and she had never asked.

"When I was a kid I dreamed of him coming back and us being a happy family," I admitted, "but time passed with no word; money arrived at Christmas and birthdays but he never did. I honestly have no idea where in the world he is."

Tori bowed her head; I could tell she was suddenly fearing the worst for her own family; I took her hand gently and she, reluctantly, turned to face me.

"Hey," I whispered, "your parents are both here, you have a relationship with both and that won't change when you move out. It may need a little more _work_, just like if someone like Robbie, for instance, is at a different college – if you don't see people you drift apart from them inevitably, one of the reasons I try get together with Carly and Sam every now and again and talk to them regularly, especially after how things were just before I left; but if it's worth it then it's worth working at it."

She nodded with a small smile. "I think you're right," she admitted.

"I usually am," I joked, causing her to give me a slightly exasperated look for a second before smirking. She leaned in and kissed me softly before pulling away, seizing my towel and yanking it away from me and turning to run to her bed. I gave chase (it didn't take long to catch her) and soon her robe joined my towel on the floor and I took an opportunity to cheer her up a little more.

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><p>I groaned as the sun streamed through the window blinds, rousing me from a great night's sleep; Tori was curled up at my side, her hand resting on my chest. I lifted it gently and kissed the back of it, causing her to grin in her sleep but not to actually stir as I extricated myself from her and got out of the bed, wrapping the towel around me to preserve my modesty as I made the short journey to the bathroom. Once safely in there I collected my, now dry, clothes, thankful for the foresight to hang them up rather than just leaving them on the bathroom floor, and dressed before heading downstairs and helping myself to some breakfast. I checked my phone, still in my jeans pocket from overnight, and smiled at the text message from Andy wanting to know when he would get his car back. I shot back a text to let him know I'd be on my way in a few minutes and that he'd hopefully have it back soon.<p>

True to my word I finished breakfast before sneaking back into my girlfriend's room and kissing her softly; this was enough to wake her with a smile.

"Hey, what time is it?" She looked around the room trying to wake herself up.

"Still early; it's just after 7:30 but I need to head back to UCLA and get Andy his car back."

"Oh right," she accepted, "so I'll see you this weekend?"

"Definitely. Sooner if you need me; just call and I'll be there."

"Aww, I love you," she grinned. We kissed again and I left, battling my way through the traffic and making it in time for my first class.

I called my girl over lunch to see how she was; she was still in surprisingly high spirits and explained excitedly that she was appearing on The Chris Burm Show in a couple of days' time and would have the chance to sing any song she liked.

"Do you have one in mind?"

"I do actually."

"I look forward to hearing it," I smiled down the phone, happy at the news that my girl was going to get another chance to increase her profile.

"Maybe you could tonight if you want some company?" she offered.

"I'd love some."

"Great, I'll be over after class."

And she was, arriving shortly before I left my final class of the day. We headed for dinner, ignoring the playful jokes from my friends and Andy's comments about his car (though she did thank him for letting me borrow it and come to see her last night).

We ordered our meals and sat nursing our drinks admiring the ambience of eightthirty restaurant, one of the other local restaurants to the UCLA area – and not too far from where we'd be living next year.

"We'll have to come here again a few times," I commented.

"Let's wait until we've eaten before we decide that," Tori cautioned sagely.

"Are you going to tell me what the new song is?" I challenged.

"Ok," she grinned, "it's called _Bad Boys_ and I wrote it myself after the PMAs. Something must have inspired me."

"So when do I hear you sing it?"

"On The Chris Burm Show tomorrow night," she smirked.

"Oh, I thought you said I'd hear it tonight," I protested.

"I said _maybe_," she teased, giggling at the sulky face I pulled. "Oh alright, you might get a sneak preview if you're _very _lucky."

"Or if I find some way of persuading you?" I raised my eyebrows. She smiled over the rim of her glass as she took another sip of her soda.

I paid and we left, heading back to my dorm. The guys were all in and greeted my girlfriend happily.

"You need the room tonight?" Tom asked in a half-joking voice.

"We're good for now," she piped up, "we've both got work to do tonight so don't worry about disturbing us."

My roommate nodded and smiled a little at us and watched as we disappeared into my room.

As it happened he wouldn't need to worry about us at all; one of the guys got a call to a party that was going down that night and the guys all wanted to go. They invited us, and we considered it, but we both really did have too much work to do, particularly Tori in the run-up to graduation from High School, so we stayed in. As ever we spent plenty of time kissing and cuddling rather than just working but got pretty much everything done by a little after eleven.

"I need a shower," Tori commented, grabbing her things (she started keeping some nightwear and some 'products' here after everything went south with her parents and she decided to spend more time here) and heading for the bathroom. I made my way into the living area and started idly channel-surfing on the TV, keeping the sound down as I heard my girl singing in the shower.

"_You're a bad boy, I'm a good girl and I'm gonna get my heart broken any time…_" her dulcet tones filtered through the door. I smiled at the sound but frowned slightly at the words; I know it's just the words of a song but the thought of a heart-broken Tori is too much for me to bear. Baby girl, I _promise_ you that I will _never_ break your heart.

"Are you ok?" she asked me as she slid onto the couch next to me and pressed herself close to me.

"Hmm?" I asked distractedly before continuing, "oh yeah. Just thinking about stuff."

"Care to share?"

"Nothing exciting," I waved off.

"Ok," she said happily, pulling me ever closer and snuggling by my side. I slipped my left arm around her and we sat there in comfortable silence watching whatever was on the TV for a while before heading for bed.

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><p>Tori left early the following morning; like me the previous day she had a battle across town in traffic to make it to school on time.<p>

"You guys have a good night?" I asked Tom as we were getting ready for the day ahead. He shrugged.

"The party was fun, the beer keg was potent," he shuddered slightly, obviously feeling the effects a little, "but no luck with the girls," he added in a disappointed tone before finishing with a grin, "unlike you."

I shrugged. "I'm just lucky like that."

"So you guys are _really_ going to live together next year?" he asked in an intrigued tone.

"Yes," I confirmed, "me, Tori, Beck and Jade. I'm not sure you've met those two." He shook his head. "It should be good… or an experience at least," I added with a tone of uncertainty.

I received a _very_ unexpected phone call during the afternoon; it was Beck and he sounded a little concerned.

"I'm worried about Tori's appearance on the show tonight," he began. "Chris Burm has a reputation for embarrassing his guests and I'm worried that on top of the whole Anthem fiasco…" he trailed off.

"Good point," I added with growing unease, "what can we do about it though? She wants to use the opportunity to get some of her credibility back after the show."

"Well André and I were going to be there and try and keep an eye on him but André had to pull out because he's meeting Shaun Quincy to discuss a deal with RPX. I've a spare ticket and could swing by after school to pick you up if you want to come along?"

"Sounds like a good idea," I agreed, "I'll see you around four then?"

"Sure thing, man, I'll see you then."

He arrived on time, texting me for directions to a suitable meeting place; I got there, got into his car and we made the trip to the studio, stopping for an Inside Out burger en route. My future housemate handed our tickets to the girl on the door and we made our way to the seats near the stage waiting for the show to begin.

Finally he got to Tori's part, the final segment of the evening, and invited her on-stage.

"So Tori, tell us – what the _heck_ happened out there?" the host began. "Does that dog hate the National Anthem?"

Beck chuckled next to me before his face fell in annoyance as Tori replied, "I dunno, maybe he's Canadian."

"Well, now we're going to let you show this audience what you can _really_ do," he told my girl; the audience, including us, applauded politely.

"I know, I'm so psyched. I'm going to sing a brand new song that I wrote called _Bad Boys_," she explained to wild applause and cheering.

"Yes you are but first, we've got a little surprise for you," the host noted.

"Oh my God, what is it?" Tori asked in dread but Chris told her not to get nervous before calling for the stagehands to bring out Buck, the very same dog who had dragged her around the arena, explaining that since _she_ got a second chance to sing, _he_ should get a second chance to listen – and that his leash would be securely tied to a table so he couldn't do it again.

Burm took the show to a commercial break as my girl left to get ready before explaining that we weren't actually _at_ a break and instead he would be playing a prank on Tori, that the dog would be replaced by a dummy that was filled with spaghetti and a Z4 squib that would explode during the song, covering my girl in "dog guts". Beck and I _really_ didn't like that idea and decided to do something about it; I wanted to just lay the guy out but the more rational part of my brain reminded me that it would hurt Tori to do so by distracting from her performance. Instead, Beck and I whispered conspiratorially, coming up with a plan...

Tori returned and began her song.

"_All the rules you break, make me want to run but I can't escape…_" she began.

We took the opportunity of a distracted studio and snuck backstage where Beck distracted the female stagehands feigning that he needed a shoulder massage; they were happy to oblige and while they were distracted I removed the detonator. Beck noticed that I had it and we retreated, me to my seat while Beck snuck behind Burm, planting the detonator under his chair and racing back to his seat. Burm pressed the detonator and was promptly despatched fifteen feet into the air where he impacted the ceiling before returning painfully to earth.

The commotion inevitably distracted Tori as she concluded her song.

"We'll be right back," she told the audience and viewers at home before the three of us made a hasty exit.

"You got to do your song, and people saw how wonderful you are _again_," I told her with a smile.

"I did," she returned my smile and took my hand. "Any ideas what happened to Chris at the end though?"

"No, not a one," Beck spoke up hurriedly. I shrugged as well.

"I guess we'll never know," I commented idly as we headed for the parking lot.

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><p><strong>Thanks for reading, a special thank you to OneHorseShay for suggesting an opportunity to have Tori do something other than cry in her bathtub. I hope you all enjoyed it; please feel free to add a review and let me know.<strong>


	37. Graduation Day

**AN:Hello everyone and welcome to this, the last chapter of Freddie Goes To Hollywood! It has been quite a journey to get to this point and I hope that you have enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. My thanks as always go out to everybody for reading and reviewing the last chapter so a special shout out to Challenge King, pbow and Agent-M for your feedback; it is all, and always, very much appreciated.  
><strong>

**A reminder that in this story the students have the option of spending their college lives at Hollywood Arts (which explained why Trina was there when she should have graduated).**

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><p>"<em>Divertisimo?<em>"

I winced when I read my boyfriend's text message as we dressed following our impromptu 'guest-appearance' on Trina's show; Jade and I had come across it on the Spanish Language Channel after Trina spent weeks bragging about landing a spot on the show and how great the acting was on it. It turned out that it was a children's show and she was dressed as a piece of cheese.

Sikowitz had somehow persuaded us to spend a whole day saying 'yes' to suggestions (en proviso that they weren't illegal, immoral or dangerous) so when we decided to visit my sister at the studio to watch – ok to _mock_ her performance – and were invited to appear, the two of us had no choice but to say yes. I do think my mean friend stole the show when she got sick of being poked by the giant fork one kid was wielding and disarmed him before chasing him around the studio.

"What's the matter?" Jade asked, looking over my shoulder after seeing my wince and hearing me groan a little at the thought that my boy had seen me running around the place similarly attired to my sister.

"Look," I told her, proffering my XT pear phone to her.

"He saw us?" she, herself, was a little horrified at the thought of our embarrassment being exposed to a wider audience.

"It would appear so."

"Well why would he be watching the Spanish Language Channel?"

"He speaks fluent Spanish despite never taking any lessons; he doesn't know how or why but sometimes just has random outbursts of Spanish."

"Sometimes?" Jade raised her eyebrows. "Anything particular that triggers it?" she asked with a teasing smirk.

"Dude, get your mind out of the gutter," I sighed. "For the record – _no_," I emphasised as she continued to grin at me. Jade just broadened her smile and folded her arms across her chest.

"How long do you think it will take him to bring it up the next time you see him?" she speculated.

"Probably not long," I grumbled. "Hey, I wonder if he mentioned it to Beck."

"Do NOT suggest it, Vega," she threatened, pointing her left index finger at me in a threatening manner; she _must_ be worried, it's a long time since she's called me 'Vega'.

"I doubt I'll have to," I shrugged, "I'm sure Freddie can bring it up in conversation all on his own the next time he sees Beck."

My gothic friend closed her eyes and clamped her mouth shut; it looked like she was steeling herself for something that she didn't want to do. Then she smiled suddenly.

"Will you promise me that you'll ask Freddie to _never _mention this to Beck?" Clever girl, using Sikowitz's demands to the full…

"Yes, Jade, I will." She relaxed visibly so it was _my_ turn to grin wickedly, "and, some day, if I want a favour from you in return for this, will you do one for me?" I asked sweetly.

"What sort?" she asked suspiciously.

"I don't know yet, nothing huge or illegal or dangerous – like Sikowitz said, but will you do me one favour in return some day?"

"Yes," she agreed in a resigned tone.

"I'll let you know when I'm ready to collect," I gave a huge smile; for the first time in a long while Jade looked worried. I love it.

We freshened up and got changed back into our own things; a _very_ annoyed Trina led us out of the changing rooms, complaining about how we intruded on her show and were getting in her way. Jade just grinned at her and, while I could understand my sister's annoyance, I found it difficult to do otherwise myself.

"I'm sorry Treen," I told her after we'd got home and Jade had left, "I know it was your show and your moment but when we saw it, especially after the way you'd described it as this great show…"

"What did you expect me to say?" she snapped. "I'm on this show dressed like a piece of cheese and chased by mice-children?" She sighed wearily and a few tears began to shimmer in her eyes. "I have a hard enough time getting respect from anybody; so I maybe exaggerated a little to try and get some from people – and now you know the truth, and so does _Jade_. Well I'm not going to have anybody's respect any longer am I? I'll be back to Trina Vega, butt of everyone's jokes."

I wrapped my arms around my sister; it was rare to see her open up and let herself be vulnerable underneath that brash, over-confident, diva-esque persona that she puts on.

"You went for a part and you got it; lots of stars started out in small roles. Someone _will_ spot you and make you great Trina. Maybe you'll have to stick to comedy – not always kids' stuff but comedy – but hey, the world needs comedic actors; it didn't do guys like Jim Carey any harm."

"I guess you're right." She smiled broadly. "Look out showbiz world, Trina Vega – master comedienne – is going to take you by storm!"

I smiled at her newly-restored self-belief. As annoying as she can be it was good to have the old Trina back again.

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><p>We were definitely in the home straight now; our finals were over and done with and graduation was just a few days away. The Prom had been a fun night (even Jade had managed to enjoy it this year), Freddie and I had had a great time, as had most of the others. It was a little sad that so many of us were now preparing to go our separate ways but I guess that's what happens after High School. At least I'd have a core of friends (Beck, Jade, Freddie of course and Cat) with me at UCLA and Trina would still be in Hollywood continuing her college degree at Hollywood Arts. Robbie still seemed unsure as to what the future held for him and André still had the record companies fighting over him, so he wasn't going to go to college but intended to work full-time on his music.<p>

Thinking of record labels brought me to think of my own situation; Freddie and I had gone down Anthony's list and finally found an agent we both trusted (or at any rate the one we _dis_trusted the least) and I had hired him to negotiate my contract with RPX Records. The basic terms had already been agreed upon (I would be at college, write in my free time and over the holidays and look to do an album this summer, a couple of gigs in Southern California, Vegas and anywhere else convenient over a few weekends early in the fall with a view to a full tour, _hopefully_ for my second album, next summer). It would be a pretty intensive workload and could mean that there were weekends where Freddie and I barely saw one another, not to mention the prospect of some long evenings in the recording studios, but we were determined to manage. My guy suggested that we make sure we set aside some "special time" just for us, one evening every week and try to keep Sunday night free as well if I have my concerts on a Saturday, just so that we have some "alone time" to spend together. It sounded like a great plan.

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><p>"So how many tickets can you get for your Graduation ceremony?" Freddie asked; his fingers were drawing light, teasing circles on my bare stomach as he held me in his arms, planting soft kisses on my neck every chance he got (I was doing nothing to discourage him).<p>

"Uh, I've _asked_ for four," I told him, "so hopefully mom, dad, you and Trina can all come along; it would be the first time mom and dad have been in the same area at the same time since Spring Break."

"Maybe a chance for them to talk," he said optimistically, firming his hold on me ever so slightly.

"Or maybe they'll have a stand-up shouting match in the middle of the ceremony," I added morbidly.

"They wouldn't embarrass you like that," he reassured me.

"You're right," I conceded, knowing that he was. I hoped that they _would_ be able to put everything else to one side, if only for the afternoon, and at least pretend we were a happy family for the day and the photographs.

"Tori?" he asked after a few minutes of comfortable silence and cuddling; his voice had turned curious so I was intrigued about what he was going to ask.

"Yeah?" I turned my head just far enough to seek out his cheek and kiss it; he responded by inclining his head and we found a way for our lips to meet, trading a few sweet kisses. Finally, reluctantly, he stopped for long enough to ask his question.

"That song you sang on the Chris Burm show – where did the inspiration for it come from?" His tone was still curious as opposed to bearing any hint of accusation.

"Oh," I hadn't really thought about it; it had just kind of evolved in my brain. I explained as much to him and he nodded over my bare shoulder before planting a little kiss on it.

"It was just a surprising topic; I know Carly always had her bad boy fascination, I didn't think that you shared it."

"Has she said anything?" I was curious. "Did she see the show? Do they even get it in Seattle?"

"I've no idea," he admitted, "I haven't asked her. I _know_ that she didn't see the basketball game, though she did –"

"She saw me on the web," I groaned. "I think the whole world has done by now."

"Then they saw a talented, beautiful girl maintain her professionalism throughout a difficult ordeal," he insisted, causing me to smile. "But I'm glad that the other song wasn't about me; I'm not sure I _really_ fit the bad boy mould," he chuckled.

"No you don't, you're my good boy instead."

"And you're a good girl – and I'm going to do my best to make sure that you _never_ get your heart broken," he whispered with cold determination. Cold it may have been but it certainly warmed _my_ heart; I rolled over in his arms, swung my leg over his to straddle him and sought his lips again.

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><p>Freddie being Freddie, he could tell that I was a little <em>off<em> the morning of my graduation. "Hey," he said, gently cupping my cheek as his other hand roamed free, just the way I like him to – always drives me crazy, but in a _good_ way – "you should be happy and excited today; you're getting out of High School!"

"I am excited and I _am_ looking forward to college – especially living with you full-time – but it's also the end of an era; I'm going to miss my teachers, some of the kids who aren't going on to college with us, Trina, living at home – there's a lot to miss is all."

"How do you think I feel; I left the state!" he reminded me with a grin. "You meet new people and move on; you'll still have that little group, me, Jade, Beck, Cat – and the others you'll keep in touch with if they really are important to you."

"I guess so," was all I could say.

Fortunately I _had_ been able to get enough tickets for us all and a pleasant surprise started the day as dad arrived at our home; it was the first time he had been here since Spring Break and he expressed his hope that we could all travel together to the school for the ceremony. Mom was happy to agree; she rode in the front next to him with the three of us (me, Freddie and Trina) in the back; both my boyfriend and my sister had blown off college that day to attend. It was an awkwardly silent journey, mom and dad were both painfully quiet in the front of the vehicle and, while Freddie and I talked a little – and Trina added the odd comment here and there – there was, predictably, a lot of tension in the car. Eventually, though, we got to school and I headed off to get my cap and gown while they found a block of seats near the front.

The first person I found was André; he was walking around the Black Box theatre with his nose buried in the notes he'd written for his Valedictorian speech. He was grateful of the distraction provided by talking to me for a little while as the nerves were evident in his voice; you'd think we'd all be used to performing in front of a crowd but I guess an occasion like that still has the capacity to bring out the nerves in people.

Beck and Jade arrived soon after, as did Cat and Robbie; we were able to talk for a while, finally finding out that Robbie was taking Rex on tour this summer and seeing if they could make it as a double act (he _still_ refuses to call himself a ventriloquist). Cat, who it transpired had moved in with her grandmother while I was dealing with all the chizz from my embarrassment on live television, was looking into ways of making a little money during college that didn't involve a part-time job; I have no idea what her plans are and I'm not sure that I _want_ to. Jade rolled her eyes a little at the red-head's plans, doubtless feeling that part of her schedule will involve spending time she really doesn't have on making sure her best friend stays out of too much trouble.

Suddenly Sikowitz stuck his head around the door and announced that they were ready for us; again I found myself unable to believe where the time had gone.

We filed out in a line and took our seats in the reserved area right in front of the stage; I had time to glance over at the audience and, to my disappointment but not my surprise, saw that Trina and Freddie were sat between my parents. I wonder if mom and dad have spoken to one another at all today other than a terse and awkward greeting this morning…

Helen gave her speech; it was a rather rambling one and I zoned out mid-way through, only focussing again as she introduced André to give his own speech; my friend was witty and humorous throughout, entertaining us all no end and then, finally, it was time for us to line up and receive our diplomas. As they went alphabetically I was almost last, though Jade was, of course, behind me.

"Victoria Dawn Vega," Sikowitz announced heralding my turn to cross the stage; I could hear the wild applause of my family and friends and I turned to smile at them after receiving my certificate from Helen. Freddie and Trina waved wildly, Freddie even blew a kiss, as did mom while dad applauded with a proud smile on his face.

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><p>"Hey," Freddie called as I left the Black Box theatre having discarded my cap and gown after the obligatory photographs; I was exhausted and just really wanted to go home.<p>

"Hey," I greeted him with a smile, pulling him in for a kiss.

"André said he's throwing a party at his; I assume you want to go?"

I groaned a little, much to his surprise. "It's not that I don't _want_ to," I clarified hurriedly, "but it's been such a long day I was hoping to just have a bubble bath and curl up with a good book or an ever better guy," I complained.

"Well it's up to you," he began.

"But it would upset him – and the others – if I blew off this last get-together, I know."

"We don't have to stay _too_ late, but you probably _should_ make an appearance at least."

"I guess. You want to come with while I look around one last time?"

"Sure, you can give me the grand tour of Hollywood Arts."

It was a bitter-sweet half-hour while we walked, hand-in-hand, around my old school and I said goodbye to all my old classrooms and hang-out haunts (including the rec room where I'd discovered the Great Ping Pong Scam a year and a half or so earlier). I reminisced to Freddie about some of the highs, and not so highs, of my two and a half years at the school and it was with a hint of sadness that we left the building, where Beck and Jade were waiting.

"You done being all mushy?" she half-snarled, to Freddie's amusement and Beck's chagrin.

"Yeah, have you?" I teased right back, causing her to roll her eyes and the boys to laugh. Mom and dad had taken Trina home so we'd be riding to André's with our future housemates.

It was a good night, a last chance to relax with my friends and to celebrate the end of one chapter of our lives and to look forward to the starting of a new one. I think we all felt the trepidation and enormity of what lay ahead of us, preparing to head out into the world, most of us would be leaving home and all that was familiar to us (Freddie tried to convince us that it wasn't all that scary; I'm not sure how many believed him).

I really _was_ feeling exhausted by the whole day; unfortunately we couldn't make our excuses and leave as we were relying on Beck and Jade for a ride home (Trina was filming Divertisimo again tonight) but thankfully they didn't want to stay too late either. Our host was disappointed when we all left, but we promised to keep in touch over the summer and beyond, and there was a chance that we would be working together for RPX once they decided exactly what they wanted me to do.

"What are your plans for the summer?" Jade asked my boy as we piled into Beck's car; she had acquired his keys and sat behind the wheel given her love of driving at night.

"I'll be working pretty much full time for the Pear Store," he informed her. "Saving up cash, though I will be heading back to Seattle to spend a week up there with mom, Carly and Sam later on in the summer. Then, of course, I need to move all my stuff into our new place."

"We're getting the bigger bedroom," Jade stated with finality.

"I guess that's decided then," he told me with a smile.

"You don't mind?" I was a little surprised that he didn't put up an argument.

"So long as I'm with you I don't really care," he said sincerely before smiling and raising his voice a little, "_and_ it means that we get the bigger bathroom if you two have the en suite."

"Hmm, that's a good point," my gothic friend commented thoughtfully.

We arrived at my home and the two of us left, saying our goodbyes to the other couple; Beck had to go to Canada for a bit and Jade and her mom would be going away at the same time, all of which meant we'd likely not see them again before we got the keys to the house and moved in. I was a little surprised, and hopeful, when I saw that dad's car was still in the driveway; we made our way inside and saw the two of them sat on the same couch, Trina on the other one (obviously home after filming her terrible show) and looking happier than she had in a while.

"Hey," I said, looking between my parents.

"Oh hey sweetie," mom greeted me. "Freddie," she acknowledged my boyfriend.

"Mrs Vega; _Mister_ Vega," he nodded respectfully to my dad.

"Is everything ok?" I asked cautiously.

"Getting there," dad said evenly. "Your mom and I talked today; I'm not coming back today but we're going to talk again later in the week. There's obviously a lot to get through but," he turned to his wife of twenty-plus years and smiled, "it's a start."

"That's great news," I enthused, swooping down to hug my dad.

"I think so too," he said quietly.

I stood up and yawned, slightly theatrically but I _was_ tired.

"Hey you can't go to bed yet," complained Trina.

"No, we have to celebrate your graduation," mom cried and bustled off to the kitchen, returning with a bottle of champagne and five glasses on a tray. She poured a generous helping of the bubbly liquid for each of us and we toasted to my success now and in the future; I added a silent toast to them working everything out between them in time.

At last, much, much later than I expected, Freddie and I went to bed; he held me in his arms and kissed me goodnight as I smiled in contentment, looking forward to us moving on to the next stage of our lives together.

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><p><strong>AN: And that concludes Freddie Goes To Hollywood; it's been a little over a year in the making (including a long break in the middle while I couldn't think of how to progress it). The story <strong>_**will**_** continue, following the quartet of Freddie, Tori, Beck and Jade as housemates at college – and with the others making the occasional 'guest star' appearance so keep an eye out for it. If you're reading my other main story at the moment, **_**A Place To Call Home**_** which is over in the Victorious section, then I will give a heads-up at the end of a chapter of that once the first chapter of the new story is up.**

**Thank you for reading, please feel free to add a review; your feedback is always appreciated. On that note I'd like to thank _everyone _who reviewed this story -Agent-M, pbow, Challenge King, jevin watkins, The Question23, ArtisticAngel6, Subject87, Crovus, huh, LanternFan, BushwellFanNYC, SirRay, Riotstarter1214, Genesis417, Jiska5, Alexneitor890, YeahIParkour, OneHorseShay, Jeremiah Preta DiAngelo and Techygirl - thank you all very much and I hope you all return for the next story about our friends. PD.**


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